ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the first time took a major policy
decision on the recommendations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when
he declined to award Non-Discriminatory Market Access (NDMA) to the
present Congress-led government in New Delhi and also put a halt to the
announcement of a major new trade policy till a new elected government
was in place in India.
Sharif made this announcement on his recent visit to The Hague citing ‘lack of consensus’. “We also deferred this due to the elections in India because we did not want to favour a single political party in India,” he said.
Commerce Minister Ghulam Dastagir also echoed the same in Lahore, at a time when reports speculated that there was little chance of the Congress winning next month’s elections.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s reluctance to visit Pakistan has also not helped matters with the Sharif government, which is clearly disappointed.
“The Foreign Office has for quite some time now advised the government in writing that it would not be prudent for Pakistan to give such a major political concession to the present Indian government which is on its way out, and instead give this concession to the incoming one. The prime minister finally agreed, though initially he opposed this advice,” diplomatic sources told The News.
Many in the Foreign Office say that they heard about Sharif’s decision from the media as it was not officially shared with them.
Earlier, Ansar Abbasi, Editor Investigations, The News, had in a report said that the government was urged to “move cautiously” so as to avoid criticism from the new government in New Delhi.
Political circles in New Delhi told The News had Pakistan and India agreed to announce the new trade policy, the sitting Indian government would have been compelled to approach the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
“Once the CEC announces the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections, the present government cannot take any new policy decisions without informing the CEC. On the Indian side also, a stumbling block had occurred,” was the view in New Delhi.
The Times of India, while quoting official sources, said, “The several recent flip flops made by the Nawaz Sharif government on the issue have greatly reduced its credibility with Indian negotiators who have concluded that in addition to political and security policy, the Pakistan government does not even have the ability to go against the Pakistan military dictates on issues related to economic reforms.”
However, The News understands that the General Headquarters was on the same page with the Sharif government and was not discouraging the government in its trade overtures with India as was being reported by the local media.
In fact, the spokesperson at the Foreign Office on many occasions had clearly stated that “everyone was on board” but did not admit that it was the ministry itself which was cautioning the government.
A senior diplomat put it this way: “When the Foreign Office advises the government, it has already done its homework by consulting various ministries and the civil and military bureaucracy for their views. It is not fair to say that there was a strong opposition from the army headquarters to improving the trade ties. Even the military recognises the benefits that trading with our eastern neighbour will bring in to our economy.”
However, last month the spokesperson had said, “This is not correct that Foreign Office is opposing it. It is a decision that the Government of Pakistan takes after consultation with all stakeholders.”
India, it appears, had more or less agreed to all the requests on the new trade policy from Pakistan, except jump starting the Composite Dialogue which Islamabad knows Delhi would not agree to.
A view being shared from India says that even its National Security Adviser, an old Pakistan hand, feels that Pakistan State’s capacity to deliver is limited. For the time being, New Delhi is keen on a ‘step-by-step approach’ for repairing the bilateral ties, which includes normalising the trade followed by people-to-people contacts while Kashmir is put on the backburner with demand on delivering on terrorism still the main condition for any movement forward.For the time being, Islamabad has pulled the rug from under the feet of Manmohan Singh’s government and in doing so has robbed his government of the NDMA status.
Sharif made this announcement on his recent visit to The Hague citing ‘lack of consensus’. “We also deferred this due to the elections in India because we did not want to favour a single political party in India,” he said.
Commerce Minister Ghulam Dastagir also echoed the same in Lahore, at a time when reports speculated that there was little chance of the Congress winning next month’s elections.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s reluctance to visit Pakistan has also not helped matters with the Sharif government, which is clearly disappointed.
“The Foreign Office has for quite some time now advised the government in writing that it would not be prudent for Pakistan to give such a major political concession to the present Indian government which is on its way out, and instead give this concession to the incoming one. The prime minister finally agreed, though initially he opposed this advice,” diplomatic sources told The News.
Many in the Foreign Office say that they heard about Sharif’s decision from the media as it was not officially shared with them.
Earlier, Ansar Abbasi, Editor Investigations, The News, had in a report said that the government was urged to “move cautiously” so as to avoid criticism from the new government in New Delhi.
Political circles in New Delhi told The News had Pakistan and India agreed to announce the new trade policy, the sitting Indian government would have been compelled to approach the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
“Once the CEC announces the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections, the present government cannot take any new policy decisions without informing the CEC. On the Indian side also, a stumbling block had occurred,” was the view in New Delhi.
The Times of India, while quoting official sources, said, “The several recent flip flops made by the Nawaz Sharif government on the issue have greatly reduced its credibility with Indian negotiators who have concluded that in addition to political and security policy, the Pakistan government does not even have the ability to go against the Pakistan military dictates on issues related to economic reforms.”
However, The News understands that the General Headquarters was on the same page with the Sharif government and was not discouraging the government in its trade overtures with India as was being reported by the local media.
In fact, the spokesperson at the Foreign Office on many occasions had clearly stated that “everyone was on board” but did not admit that it was the ministry itself which was cautioning the government.
A senior diplomat put it this way: “When the Foreign Office advises the government, it has already done its homework by consulting various ministries and the civil and military bureaucracy for their views. It is not fair to say that there was a strong opposition from the army headquarters to improving the trade ties. Even the military recognises the benefits that trading with our eastern neighbour will bring in to our economy.”
However, last month the spokesperson had said, “This is not correct that Foreign Office is opposing it. It is a decision that the Government of Pakistan takes after consultation with all stakeholders.”
India, it appears, had more or less agreed to all the requests on the new trade policy from Pakistan, except jump starting the Composite Dialogue which Islamabad knows Delhi would not agree to.
A view being shared from India says that even its National Security Adviser, an old Pakistan hand, feels that Pakistan State’s capacity to deliver is limited. For the time being, New Delhi is keen on a ‘step-by-step approach’ for repairing the bilateral ties, which includes normalising the trade followed by people-to-people contacts while Kashmir is put on the backburner with demand on delivering on terrorism still the main condition for any movement forward.For the time being, Islamabad has pulled the rug from under the feet of Manmohan Singh’s government and in doing so has robbed his government of the NDMA status.
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