India is optimistic that Pakistan will take steps to move towards a trade regime that deepens and diversifies bilateral trade between the two countries and enhances economic engagement. The Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma is currently on a visit to Pakistan amidst high expectations that the neighbouring nation will announce the first major step to normalise trade with India and eventually grant the much-awaited Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India (by the year-end).
Currently, India operates a positive list (PL) with Pakistan and permits imports from Pakistan of all, but a few items in the Indian Negative List (NL). Pakistan, on the other hand, allows only 1,946 items of imports from India which are on its PL. It is expected that Pakistan will shift its trade regime from the PL to NL, thus allowing multi-fold increase in access to Indian goods in the Pakistani market, and later dismantle that negative list and grant the MFN status to India. Under the MFN status, all partners have equal rights.
The other areas on which progress is anticipated is the agreement for a multiple entry visa regime to facilitate the movement of business leaders of India and Pakistan, strengthening of infrastructure for cargo movement on the land route and customs cooperation and mutual conformity of standards and grievance redressal.
The investment policy regime of India which currently prohibits Pakistan investments into India is also likely to come up for discussion. This is the first substantive visit of an Indian Commerce Minister to Pakistan after India’s independence. Sharma is being accompanied by over 100 Chief Executives from India.
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