Pakistan Considering Resuming Trade With India, Importing Edible Items Amid Devastating Floods: Report

Pakistan had formally suspended its trade relations with India since August 2019 following Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's decision to revoke Article 370 in J&K.

A family wades through a flood hit area following heavy monsoon rains in Charsadda district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on August 29

Source : AFP

As Pakistan grapples with devastating floods, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said on Monday that the government was considering resuming trade with India. The minister said the government was considering importing vegetables and other edible items from India to facilitate people after recent floods destroyed crops across the country, Radio Pakistan reported.

Pakistan is witnessing a massive surge in the prices of various vegetables and fruits due to devastating floods. Ismail said the floods have impacted Pakistan's economy to the tune of $10 billion.

"If the supply is affected, the import of vegetables (from India) will have to be opened. If we have to import vegetables from India, we will do so," Radio Pakistan quoted Ismail as saying.

Former security adviser Moeed Yousuf is reportedly working on some proposals regarding trade with India, Dawn reported. Former commerce adviser Razak Dawood has also spokem on several occasions for the resumption of trade with India.

Earlier in June, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had pressed for trade and engagement with other countries, especially India. Bhutto had put greater emphasis on engaging India, saying it was time for economic diplomacy and focusing on engagement, Dawn reported.

READ | Pakistan Floods: Death Toll Surpasses 1,000-Mark, Over 1,500 Injured As Rains Continue To Wreak Havoc

However, the Foreign Office had subsequently issued a clarification on Bilawal's comments, saying that there was no change in Pakistan's policy towards India.

Pakistan had formally suspended its trade relations with India since August 2019 following Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's decision to revoke Article 370 that granted Jammu and Kashmir a special status.

Trade relations between India and Pakistan were already strained following the Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed, as the Modi government imposed 200 per cent customs duty on all goods imported from the neighbouring nation.

Floods triggered by monsoon rain since June 14 have wreaked havoc in Pakistan, inundating the south and southwest of the country and killing more than 1,000 people. It has displaced 33 million or one-seventh of the country's population.

At least 347 people died in Sindh, 238 in Balochistan, 226 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 168 in Punjab, 38 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, 15 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and one person was killed in Islamabad, PTI reported.

Last week, the UN said it had earmarked 2.6 million pounds for relief measures in the country. The United Kingdom has announced that it would provide up to 1.5 million pounds for relief efforts.

The Canadian government allocated $20,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for flood relief operations in Pakistan, PTI reported.