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India politicising cotton trade

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: An Agricultural Ministry spokesman on Saturday, rejecting Indian claim about Pakistan's cotton, said Indian scientists have been requesting technological assistance from Pakistan against curl leaf virus.

Talking to Business Recorder he said Indian government has banned the import of cotton from Pakistan on the pretext that cotton seed of exotic origin, dried leaves and their stalks in the imported consignment carry exotic strains of destructive bacterial, viral and fungal diseases which are virulent under Indian climatic conditions.

The Indian government has politicised cotton trade with Pakistan by assuming verification that Pakistani cotton is prone to destructive bacterial viral and fungal diseases. This is a totally baseless allegation. Pakistani cotton does not carry such diseases. Pakistan has not received any such complaint from importers of any other country in the last 50 years in our history.

Cotton export is done on the basis of pre inspection at the port of landed quality subject to the verification of international inspectors. Furthermore, the exported cotton is fumigated. Therefore, the question of bacterial fungal or virus disease does not arise.

He said that a number of Indian scientists have already visited Pakistan to get know-how in order to control cotton leave curl virus in India. Dr. S. Randawa, Dr. Kranthy, Dr. Jadhave and Dr. Jogander Singh eminent Indian scientists attended a workshop on "Resistant Management of Pest and Disease in Cotton" held last year under the auspices of International Cotton Advisory Committee.

"We gained a surplus cotton production due to the efforts of our scientists who have done a miraculous job by controlling virus in cotton.

"India has hegemonic designs and this malicious Indian decision is an attempt to hurt the cotton trade of Pakistan. "But we would not let India succeed with its designs as we are lodging a complaint with the World Trade Organisation to take punitive action against India," he added.