Imran Khan sticks to Kashmir agenda, ignores advice to lift ban on sugar, cotton imports from India

By Asianet Newsable English | First Published Apr 1, 2021, 11:03 PM IST

A day after Pakistan Finance Minister Hammad Azhar stated that there was no harm if opening trade with a country reduced the burden on an ordinary Pakistani's pocket, the country's Prime Minister Imran Khan has succumbed to political interests and rejected the ECC proposal.

Pakistan Cabinet Minister Shireen Mazari said, "Cabinet has clearly stated that there would be no trade with India. Prime Minister Imran Khan made clear there can be no normalisation of relations with India until they reverse their illegal actions of August 5, 2019."

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Later in the day, Science and Technology Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that even though India-Pakistan relations could be a game-changer for the region and bring economic prosperity. But “this progress cannot be achieved on the cost of Kashmir".

"If India withdraws its August 5 move, new avenues of cooperation can be opened between the two countries," he said.

Even though Pakistan's textile exports increased last year, the country's cotton crop was not good. With the local demand for sugar peaking ahead of the onset of Ramzan and the prices going through the roof, Pakistan has been compelled to import the product.

And considering that India is the second-largest producer and offering lower prices than prevalent in the global market, Pakistan's Economic Coordination Council found it viable to import the product from its neighbouring country.

The Economic Coordination Council had sought to procure 0.5 million tonnes of sugar for the private sector.

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