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Shri Kamal Nath, Union
Minister of Commerce & Industry, has taken up with
the SAARC Secretariat the issue of restricted import
of goods under the SAARC Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA)
from India by Pakistan and said that the
notification by the Government of Pakistan dated 1st
July 2006 to this effect is against the letter and
spirit of SAFTA. “I am sure you would agree with
me that SAFTA has little operational meaning if
Pakistan does not apply SAFTA to all items, except
those tariff lines in the sensitive list, to all
member countries”, Shri Kamal Nath has said in a
letter to the Secretary General of SAARC. The letter
also recalls that the Government of Pakistan had
earlier ratified SAFTA without any reservation.
The SAFTA, signed by
the member states of SAARC during its 12th
Summit in Islamabad in January, 2004, has came into
force from 1st January 2006. Under this
agreement, SAARC member countries are to implement
the trade liberalisation programme as per Article 7
from 1st July, 2006. India has
accordingly notified the reduction of tariffs as per
Article 7 of SAFTA Agreement on 1st July,
2006. The notification (SRO No. 695(I)/2006) issued
by the Government of Pakistan on 1st July
2006 has notified tariff concessions on import of
4872 items from SAARC member countries. However,
according to this notification, imports from India
would be subject to the Pakistan import policy order
of July 2005 which restricts imports of goods from
India or goods of Indian origin to a positive list
of only 773 items, the letter points out.
The Minister has urged
the Secretary General of SAARC to convene the SAFTA
Ministerial Council Meeting for consideration of
this important matter and also requested him to
convey India’s concerns to all SAARC member
countries.
[NB: Pakistan’s positive list of imports is 4872
items and 1183 items are in the Sensitive List i.e.,
not subject to tariff liberalisation].
New Delhi,
Jul
6, 2006 |
