India expresses hope Pakistan will grant MFN status by December end

India today expressed hope thatPakistan will honour its assurance of granting it MFN statusand further dismantling the trade barriers between thecountries.

"It (MFN) is given by all member countries of the WTO toeach other. Since India and Pakistan both are members, we havegiven the MFN status. I am sure Pakistan will do that andhonour the assurance that has been given," Commerce andIndustry Minister Anand Sharma told reporters here.

In March, Pakistan had moved to a negative list regimefor trade from the so positive list regime. This has openedPakistani market for about 7,000 Indian goods against about2,000 earlier.

The neighbouring country has said that it would removethe negative list, which contains 1,209 items, by December end-- technically which would mean grant of Most Favoured Nation(MFN) status to India.

"Earlier only 18 per cent tariff lines were tradeable. Itgot reversed and now 82 per cent of the total tariff lines aretradeable," he said.

Last week, Pakistani commerce minister Makhdoom AminFahim had spoken to Sharma on telephone on the issue.

"Fahim made a telephonic call to me to discuss thismatter reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to move towardsdismantling of the negative list altogether," he said.

He said that Commerce Secretaries of both the sides arein regular dialogue.

Sharma said dismantling of negative list in the WTOterminology means grant of MFN status.

The bilateral trade between the countries stood at aboutUSD 2 billion 2011-12.

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