Monday, February 13, 2012

India pakistan trade talks: progress report


·         India pakistan talks on trade front has made significant progress
o   Pakistan has agreed to shift over form positive to negative list
o   Pakistan is willing to give India MFN status
o   They have set a trade target of 6 bn $ by 2014(currently 2.7 bn $ trade in 2010-11)
o   Talks underway to liberalise visa norms for businessmen
o   Addressing inssue of non trabe barriers
Beyond trade
·         Talks on other issues seem to heading nowhere
·         Uncertainty within the pakistan politics has lead to slowdown in talks
·         Home secretary and foreign  min talks have been delayed
·         Uncertainty in afghanistan has kept the tensions on border running high
·         Within India , central government is busy fighting allegations of corruption
In afghanistan
·         Both India and pakistan are competing to gain influence in afghanistan
·         Pakistan fears the indian government offer of training the afghan army
o   Pakistan fears afghan army will develop an indian mindset
·         India fears that pakistan will provide space for taliban , haqqanis to be part of afghan political setup
Jammu and kashmir
·         India pakistan are yet to decide on even starting point of talks
·         India wants to have talks on basis of 4 point formula agreed to through back channel talks during mushraff era
o   The formula called for self governance, demilitarisation, making borders irrelevant and jt management of kashmir
·         Equally India has failed to act on recommendations of JK interlocutors to meet the expectations of people in valley

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