ISLAMABAD: A Foreign Office spokesman last week said Pakistan had decided to open trade with India, though he stopped short of officially confirming the news, insisting that “the decision will be taken purely on economic considerations and not political.” Addressing a weekly briefing, the spokesman fielded a number of questions relating to Indo Pak relations and to the liberalization of trade sired by the lead story of major English daily.
Replying to a query on the subject, he did not deny reports of the Pakistani High Commissioner to India, Riaz Khokhar’s vehement opposition to the opening of trade and said, “There will always be divergent opinions on an ongoing debate, but in the end, the Government will speak with one voice.”
He said that Pakistan also awaited India’s formal response to the invitation of talks, extended by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to the Indian Prime Minister Deve Gowda. To another question pertaining to the Gowda Government’s declaration of retaining its nuclear option, he said that a Minden issued by the Indian Government and Pakistan would respond soon after analyzing the text of this document.
When asked opinion could be separated from politics, Keeping in view the acrimonious relationship between the two countries, he said, “You cannot separate the two but the “Most Favored Nation’ status is of such a limited significance in Indo Pak relations that it needn’t be subjected to the overall context of the relations.” The fact is that MFN means granting the same status that Pakistan is extending to so many other countries.”
Commenting upon New Delhi’s latest overture of offering maximum autonomy to India held Kashmir; the Spokesman dismissed the offer as being, “nothing new.” Lashing out at the Indian authorities, he said that the fraudulent elections held in the Valley have “not contributed to the lessening of the Kashmiris’ isolation.” Accusing India of waging a war of terror and brutality in Jammu and Kashmir, he said that the resolve of the Kashmin people could not be crushed by the use of brute force.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 12, 1996
