E-Paper
Not on agenda: Indus Waters Treaty, Pak’s MFN status to remain unchanged
India has no immediate plans to review the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan. Nor is the review of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 on the agenda at this stage.
India has no immediate plans to review the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan. Nor is the review of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 on the agenda at this stage.
Government sources told HT that officials had briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about all aspects of Indo-Pak relations following the terror attack on the Uri army base that left 19 soldiers dead.
India held Pakistan responsible and assessed its options before opting for a military retribution by launching surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Sources said that during the briefing, the PM made no indications of any plan to review the MFN status or the water treaty.
“It (review) is not on the table now. If and when a call is taken, it will be a political decision and its timing will be decided by the PM,” said a source privy to the deliberations. India had accorded MFN status to Pakistan in 1996, but the neighbouring country hasn’t reciprocated. India exports perishable commodities such as onions, tomatoes and potatoes through the Wagah Border, and imports cement and certain other articles.
“Withdrawing the MFN status won’t hurt Pakistan. It is already re-routing import through Dubai and Qatar. Under the WTO agreement, the MFN status should, ideally, not be linked to the relationship between two countries,” said the source.
New Delhi, however, is keeping opinions open with sources saying the last word on the matter hasn’t been spoken yet. “India has shown enough diplomatic muscle to do it if it wants to. But whether to withdraw the MFN status or not is something we are not considering at the moment,” a Union minister said.
After Modi return from the BJP national council meeting in Kozhikode last month, senior officials, including those from the water resources ministry, briefed the Prime Minister on the options available to India.
“The Prime Minister heard the officials, but did not say anything,” another government source said.
“It was psychological warfare that unnerved Pakistan. It went running to the UN, the WTO and the United States, even before India took any call on these issues,” another minister told HT.
