India not Keen to Resume Trade Ties with Pakistan, Onus is on Islamabad
NEW DELHI, Sept 1: India is in no hurry to resume trade ties with Pakistan and believe that the onus for its resumption depend on Islamabad which had unilaterally snapped the ties in the wake of the abrogation of article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and ending its statehood.
Official sources said on Thursday that India had also not taken any decision so far on extending assistance to Pakistan in the wake of devastating floods in the neighbouring country but might consider requests from international agencies to allow shipment of aids via Indian territory.
The issues of both trade and humanitarian assistance have been in focus since Pakistan’s finance minister Miftah Ismail said earlier this week that Islamabad can consider importing vegetables and food items from India to cope with shortages due to the floods, which have killed more than 1,000 people and affected 33 million. But Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent remarks that linked the resumption of trade to the resolution of the Kashmir issue have not gone down well on the Indian side, the sources said.
“There have been all sorts of flip-flops from the Pakistani side on the issue of trade. And when trade is linked to the issue of Kashmir, what do you expect us to do?” the sources asserted.
Pointing out that it was Pakistan which had unilaterally suspended trade with India in August 2019, the officials said the responsibility for the resumption also lies with Islamabad. External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi was non-committal when he was asked about the issues of humanitarian assistance and trade at a weekly media briefing.
“Regarding the floods that have hit Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shared his sadness at the devastation caused by the floods. You have seen his comments. He has extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the injured and all those affected by the natural calamity… For the moment, that’s all I have to say on the issue of the assistance,” Bagchi said.
“As regards the trade element, we have seen various statements on this matter. At this point, I have nothing further to add to those statements that we have seen from Pakistan,” he added.
Bagchi responded to a question about humanitarian assistance possibly leading to bonhomie in India-Pakistan relations by saying this was “very speculative”.
Modi expressed sorrow over the floods in a tweet on August 29. “Saddened to see the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the injured and all those affected by this natural calamity and hope for an early restoration of normalcy,” he said.
Sharif thanked Modi in a tweet on Wednesday for conveying his condolences over the human and material losses caused by the floods. “With their characteristic resilience the people of [Pakistan] shall, InshaAllah, overcome the adverse effects of this natural calamity & rebuild their lives and communities,” he said.
During a media briefing in Islamabad on Tuesday, Sharif said there would not “have been problems about trading with India but genocide is going on there and Kashmiris have been denied their rights.” He had further said he was ready to “sit and talk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We cannot afford war. We will have to dedicate our meagre resources for alleviating poverty in our respective countries but we cannot live in peace without resolving these issues.”
(Manas Dasgupta)
