20000116

Cotton import ban

termed Indian

plot to disrepute

Pakistan

KARACHI: The National Committee for Indian Ocean Rim Network (NCIORN) of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, termed latest move of India to ban import of raw cotton from Pakistan as conspiracy to disrepute Pakistan.

NCIORN Chairman Rashid Soorty in a statement issued here on Saturday said this move once again exposed India's nefarious design not to miss any opportunity to damage Pakistan's image in the international market and inflict heavy blow to its economic emancipation on one pretext or the other.

India has been propagation its lofty claim as champion of free trade and principle of non-discriminating trade treatment but it follows highly discriminatory policy towards Pakistan and known to be in the forefront to block Pakistan's re-entry into the Commonwealth and the comity of non-aligned nations in the past, he said.

In the latest move, he maintained, India exhibited a similar attitude towards Pakistan by preventing Pakistan's membership to Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Co-operation (IOR-ACR) on the ground that Pakistan has adopted discriminatory trade policy in its trade relations with India.

The world in general and Indian Ocean Rim Network countries in particular, must take notice of India's highly derogatory stand at Maputo, he said.

Mozambique IOR-ARC Conference in March 1999 to prevent Pakistan's membership to IOR-ARC on the ground of so-called discriminatory trade treatment of Pakistan towards India in respect of Most Favourite Nation (MFN) status.

Pakistan has always maintained that it cannot unilaterally open full trade with India unless she creates an environment of trust and mutual respect and adopts fair play rather than looking for flimsy and unrealistic excuses for banning import of cotton from Pakistan and thus causing grave impediment in the development of free and fair trade between the two close neighbour countries, he said.

India is thus fully exposed in its dual policy in trade, he said. This is not the only one instance, India keeps on looking for such excuses which is deplorable, he added.ÑAPP