MFN Status for India soon, but not Immediately: Pakistan

NEW DELHI: Pakistan is unlikely to announce the 'most favoured nation' (MFN) for India during commerce minister Khurram Dastgir Khan's ongoing visit to India.

Khan is in New Delhi to attend the SAARC Business Leaders Conclave and will later hold a bilateral meeting with commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma. "We are discussing non-discriminatory access instead of MFN. The idea is, instead of getting caught in nomenclature, we should provide substantial market access to India," said Khan at a Confederation of Indian Industry event.

He added that it will happen soon though not immediately, suggesting that no major announcement may come during his India visit. "There are sensitivities on both sides," Khan said.

India and Pakistan officially restarted trade normalisation talks on Wednesday as the two secretaries met in New Delhi after a 16-month gap. Pakistan had agreed to give India MFN status by December 2012 but has missed that deadline because of political considerations involved in given 'most favoured nation' status to India. Pakistan's auto, pharma and agri lobbies are also opposed to greater access to India in these sectors.