NEW DELHI: The onus is on Pakistan to resume trade with India as it was Islamabad that suspended the bilateral economic engagement in 2019, people familiar with the development said on Thursday.
They also said India has not made any decision on extending aid to Pakistan to help it deal with recent devastating floods.
At the same time, they said India could consider requests from international aid agencies about sending assistance to the neighbouring country through Indian territory.
There has been a renewed focus on trade between the two countries after Pakistan's Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said this week that Islamabad can consider importing food items from India to deal with the shortages resulting from the floods.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, however, linked the resumption of trade with India to a forward movement on the Kashmir issue.
The people cited above said India will not heed to such conditions for the resumption of trade ties, while describing Pakistan's position on the issue as some sort of "flip-flops".
"Regarding the floods that have hit Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shared his sadness at the devastation caused by the floods," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a weekly media briefing.
He was replying to a question on whether India would extend humanitarian assistance to Pakistan.
"He (Modi) has extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the injured and all those affected by the natural calamity. For the moment, that is all I have to say on the issue of 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 said.
Pakistan had suspended trade with India in 2019 in protest against New Delhi's decision to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
Asked whether humanitarian assistance from India to Pakistan will lead to any bonhomie in the ties, Bagchi described such observation as "very speculative".
Modi last week said he was saddened by the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan.
"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 in a tweet.
On his part, Sharif thanked Modi for his message.
"With their characteristic resilience the people of [Pakistan] shall, InshaAllah, overcome the adverse effects of this natural calamity and rebuild their lives and communities," the Pakistani prime minister said.
Pakistan's Foreign Office on Thursday said that there was no proposal under consideration currently to allow import of vegetables from India, amid growing calls for opening trade routes with the neighbouring country as prices of vegetables and fruits have spiked due to the devastating floods.
"We are in touch with countries in the broader region to facilitate the earliest import of vegetables in the country," FO spokesman Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said in a press briefing in Islamabad.
His comments come as several business chambers have been urging the Shehbaz Sharif government to import essential items like onion and tomato from neighbouring India for the sake of consumers.
The idea to import edible goods from India was first floated by Finance Minister Miftah Ismail on Monday in the wake of soaring prices of vegetables.
However, Ismail said on Wednesday that the government will consult coalition partners and key stakeholders on importing food items from India, amid criticism from the Opposition over the plan in the wake of strained ties with New Delhi over the Kashmir issue.
On Thursday, Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Atif Munir requested the government to act swiftly to retain the vegetable supply chain.
"Trade with the neighbouring countries, especially India is vital to reduce transportation charges and that will help provide vegetables and fruits to consumers here at cheap rates," he said.
Lahore Market Committee Secretary Shehzad Cheema said the government should take the decision to import vegetables and fruits from India as it appears to be the need of the hour to provide relief to consumers here.
He said import of vegetables from Iran via Taftan border (Balochistan) was not viable as the Iranian government had increased taxes on its imports and exports.
Tehreek-i-Istaqlal president Rehmat Khan Wardag also voiced for open trade with India for the sake of Pakistanis benefits.
"The government should use all avenues to provide relief to the consumers as tomato and onion prices have crossed Rs400 per kg. Vegetables and fruit supplies in the shortest time are possible only from neighbouring countries like India," the veteran politician said in a statement on Thursday.
"As the government has already decided to open Iran and Afghan borders, it should also allow opening of Wagah border for importing kitchen items from India to bring down vegetables' prices immediately," he added.
Finance Minister Ismail said on Wednesday that more than one international agency has approached the government to allow them to bring food items from India through the land border of Wagah.
"The government will take the decision to allow imports or not based on the supply shortage position, after consulting its coalition partners and key stakeholders," he said.
The nine-party coalition government is currently looking into all options, including allowing vegetable imports from India, to alleviate the suffering of the millions of people affected by the floods.
Pakistan has already allowed the trade of pharmaceutical products and surgical instruments with India.
Relations between India and Pakistan have often been strained over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
However, the ties between the two countries nosedived after India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the State into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019.
India's decision evoked strong reactions from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy.
Trade ties between Pakistan and India have largely been frozen since then.
The UK government on Thursday said it is providing urgent life-saving support to Pakistan following devastating floods that have left a third of the country underwater.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the UK's humanitarian support totalling GBP 15 million will help provide shelter and essential supplies to people across the country.
The flooding is reported to have affected more than 33 million people, with 1,100 lives lost.
"The UK stands with Pakistan, as tens of millions of people face devastating floods, which have left a third of the country, an area roughly the size of the UK, underwater," said UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
"As a major humanitarian donor, we will do all we can to get life-saving aid to the most vulnerable, including through this GBP 15 million package of support," she said.
The latest funding announced by the Foreign Secretary comes after the UK provided GBP 1.5 million towards the disaster last weekend.
The government of Pakistan and the United Nations launched a joint appeal on Tuesday for USD 160 million to help the long-term recovery.
Early estimates of the damage suggest that it will have a USD 10 billion impact.
"We are seeing first-hand the tragic effects of climate change and the impact it is having on millions of people across the country. The UK is working around the clock with the Pakistan authorities to determine what support is required in the short-term and longer-term," said Lord Tariq Ahmad, UK's Minister of State for South and Central Asia.
"We are also working at pace with international organisations working directly on the ground to help victims of the disaster. These include the United Nations and World Bank. We will continue to work hand in hand with the international community to garner the best possible global support package for Pakistan to recover," said Ahmad, of Pakistani heritage.
Following the launch of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Pakistan Floods Appeal on Thursday, the UK government said it will match pound for pound the first GBP 5 million of public donations, as part of the total GBP 15 million pledge.
The rest of the UK funding of GBP 10 million announced this week will go to international aid agencies on the ground to help them respond to people's immediate needs, including through providing water, sanitation, shelter, protecting women and girls.
It will also support families to repair their homes and maintain their livelihoods.
According to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Agency, the flooding has damaged 950,000 houses and destroyed 287,000, with 500,000 people now living in relief camps.
The disaster has also destroyed 3,000km of roads and damaged 7,566 schools.
In total, 745 health centres have been damaged or destroyed.
The death toll from flash floods triggered by record monsoon rains across much of Pakistan reached 1,186 on Thursday, as authorities scrambled to provide relief materials to tens of thousands of affected people.
Record monsoon rains in the last three decades triggered floods which inundated one third of the country, including most of Balochistan and Sindh provinces.
"So far 1,186 people have died and 4,896 injured while 5,063 kms of roads damaged, 1,172,549 houses partially or completely destroyed and 733,488 livestock killed," said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the main body dealing with calamities.
On Thursday, the army said that some 50,000 people have been evacuated since rescue efforts began.
Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said that more than 33 million people have been affected due to "colossal scale of devastation".
During a media briefing here, he said Pakistan mounted coordinated rescue and relief operations mobilising all possible resources but the sheer scale of the calamity "stretched our resources and capacities to the limit, thus necessitating support from the international community".
The cash-strapped Pakistan government on Tuesday teamed up with the United Nations to issue a flash appeal for USD 160 million to deal with the disaster in the country that has become the "ground zero" of global warming.
"The Flash Appeal launch was well attended by Member States both in Islamabad and Geneva, Heads of UN agencies in Pakistan, representatives of international organizations, among others. Participants offered condolences and expressions of solidarity, and assured continued support for Pakistan," the spokesman said.
He also said that Pakistan faced a "climate-induced calamity" because the monsoons were not ordinary, "as the UNSG termed them 'monsoons on steroid'."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will be visiting Pakistan on September 9-10 on an important visit to "express solidarity and international community's support for Pakistan at this difficult time," he said.
Talking about the outpouring of relief supplies, he said till last night, Pakistan received flood relief goods through 21 flights notably from Turkey, UAE and China.
He said a large number of countries and international organisations pledged to support and are extending cash or in-kind assistance including Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, China, EU, France, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, New Zealand, Norway, Palestine, Qatar, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkiye, the UAE, United Kingdom, the United States, Uzbekistan, along with various international organisations including World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other UN Agencies.
He said Pakistan on Wednesday signed the Green Framework Engagement Agreement with Denmark in Copenhagen, which marks the first step in creating stronger collaboration in areas such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, and a just and sustainable green transition.
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif while addressing lawmakers of his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz asked them to visit the flood victims with relief goods.
The prime minister said that he had never seen such a calamity before.
"Water has wreaked havoc everywhere," he said.
He also asked Finance Minister Miftah Ismail to devise a plan to give relief to the flood-affected people with electricity bills.
Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the Rohjan area of Punjab and met flood victims whom he assured that the Pakistan Army will help them to overcome their problems in these difficult times, the army said.
He also directed ground troops to take this responsibility as a noble cause and spare no effort to lessen the burden of flood-affected brothers and sisters.
Advisor to the Prime Minister on Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira said that Prime Minister Sharif would visit Gilgit-Baltistan on Friday and announce a relief package for the flood victims.
Separately, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) said in a statement that more than three million children were in need of humanitarian assistance in Pakistan and at increased risk of waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition due to flooding.
"These floods have already taken a devastating toll on children and families, and the situation could become even worse," the statement quoted Unicef representative in Pakistan Abdullah Fadil as saying.
To add to worries, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast more rain in September, saying that La Nina conditions, responsible for recent spells of flood-triggering deluge in the country, would persist in September but become less intense.
"Tendency for normal to above normal precipitation is likely over the country during September," the Met Office said, predicting above-normal rainfall in northeastern Punjab and Sindh.