The External Affairs Minister's latest statement is an extension of his previous statement in which he had expressed his desire to reopen trade with India.
Speaking to media persons at the Ministry of External Affairs in Islamabad, Dar said the country's business community has expressed willingness to reopen trade routes with India.
He said general goods and medicine are already being traded through various routes, including Dubai, which increases the cost of trade.
He said his earlier statements, in which he had expressed his aspiration to reopen trade routes and trade with India, were based on strong recommendations and demands from the business community.
The minister said he is working on a plan that involves discussion and approval from relevant quarters.The Foreign Minister's statement came at a time when his own party colleague and Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had said that the possibility of trade with India was zero due to the ongoing Kashmir dispute.
Experts say although Dar's statement is encouraging, it still remains uncertain whether it will go through with approval from the military establishment and other relevant ministries, including the cabinet, which has maintained a hardline stance on matters related to India. Is.
"Pakistan's official position is that it will not hold any talks on trade with India unless the Kashmir issue is given top priority. With this in mind, I do not think reopening trade will be an easy step. will be." For Pakistan,” said senior political analyst Adnan Shaukat."When Ishaq Dar made such a statement after taking over as the Foreign Minister, he faced criticism from all sides. Secondly, he tried to present it to the Cabinet and especially to the Army rather than to the business community. “It may be much easier to consult with the establishment for approval,” he said.
Islamabad-based senior journalist Kamran Yousaf said the concerns of the business community are justified as the cost of trade with India through the Wagah-Attari border would be far cheaper than doing trade through Dubai.
He said, “The business community is right to demand reopening of the India-Pakistan trade route through Wagah as it is cheaper than using a third country like Dubai to trade basic goods.,
“However, we have to keep in mind that, according to Dar, this is only an initial phase of the consultations being conducted with the business community and a lot remains to be done before any concrete results can be achieved. Secondly, in India I There is a phase of elections at this time and until that is over, there will be no clarity on the issue."
Speaking to media persons at the Ministry of External Affairs in Islamabad, Dar said the country's business community has expressed willingness to reopen trade routes with India.
He said general goods and medicine are already being traded through various routes, including Dubai, which increases the cost of trade.
He said his earlier statements, in which he had expressed his aspiration to reopen trade routes and trade with India, were based on strong recommendations and demands from the business community.
The minister said he is working on a plan that involves discussion and approval from relevant quarters.The Foreign Minister's statement came at a time when his own party colleague and Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had said that the possibility of trade with India was zero due to the ongoing Kashmir dispute.
Experts say although Dar's statement is encouraging, it still remains uncertain whether it will go through with approval from the military establishment and other relevant ministries, including the cabinet, which has maintained a hardline stance on matters related to India. Is.
"Pakistan's official position is that it will not hold any talks on trade with India unless the Kashmir issue is given top priority. With this in mind, I do not think reopening trade will be an easy step. will be." For Pakistan,” said senior political analyst Adnan Shaukat."When Ishaq Dar made such a statement after taking over as the Foreign Minister, he faced criticism from all sides. Secondly, he tried to present it to the Cabinet and especially to the Army rather than to the business community. “It may be much easier to consult with the establishment for approval,” he said.
Islamabad-based senior journalist Kamran Yousaf said the concerns of the business community are justified as the cost of trade with India through the Wagah-Attari border would be far cheaper than doing trade through Dubai.
He said, “The business community is right to demand reopening of the India-Pakistan trade route through Wagah as it is cheaper than using a third country like Dubai to trade basic goods.,
“However, we have to keep in mind that, according to Dar, this is only an initial phase of the consultations being conducted with the business community and a lot remains to be done before any concrete results can be achieved. Secondly, in India I There is a phase of elections at this time and until that is over, there will be no clarity on the issue."