This may be the age of regional cooperation but not for India and Pakistan. For them, it is always age of rivalry. So, I am not surprised or shocked that Pakistan is not going to extend the Most Favored Nation (MFN) status to India. Actually, India and Pakistan have not given any serious thought about increasing economic ties between the countries. Of course, when there is a high level of mistrust then talking about expanding economic ties is nothing but lip service.
Times of India reported:
Without directly commenting on External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's remarks during his visit here that Pakistan should implement South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) in total to encourage free trade in the region, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said, "Pakistan was in favour of level-playing field by removing non-tariff barriers".
"Extending MFN is not the only solution to promote trade but there should be level-playing field", he was quoted as saying by the state-run APP news agency on Monday.
Since Pakistan is reluctant to extend MSN status, Indian leaders should try more to convince the Pakistani leaders to change their mindset. In this age of globalization, there is no alternate to regional cooperation.
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