Pakistan says trade regime with India remains unchanged

Pak govt has put restriction on importing cotton bales through Wagah border while there was not any such restriction on the Karachi port.

Pakistan has not changed the trade regime with India despite strains in their relationship, commerce minister Khurram Dastgir has said.

A file photo of Pakistani rangers and Indian Border Security Force officers during a daily parade at the Pakistan-India joint check-post at Wagah border. (Reuters)

Dastgir was speaking in response to the issue raised by Mohsin Aziz, the chairman of Senate Standing Committee on Textile Industry, that a huge quantity of raw cotton has been stopped at the Karachi port.

According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, the minister said the government has not issued any notification in this regard.

However, Dastgir said the government has put restriction of importing 500,000 cotton bales in a year through Wagah border while there was not any such restriction on the Karachi port.

Aziz said the government should instead ban value-added products from India in a bid to protect the local textile industry.

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