Islamabad : The 5th round of Indo-Pak secretary-level trade talks has concluded without reaching a settlement on major issues of concern.
According to a joint statement issued after the two-day talks on Thursday, it was clear that Pakistan has not assured India that it would grant it the most favoured nation (MFN) status.
India has also not given Pakistan any assurance about removing Non-Trade Barriers (NTBs) on Pakistani exports.
"Pakistan will recognise the Indian demand of Most Favoured Nation later on. At this stage, both sides will switch from the positive to negative list," The News quoted Commerce and Trade Secretary Zafar Mahmood, as saying after reading the joint statement.
Until now, both sides had focussed on adding items to the positive list- which currently stands at 1946 items- but would now focus on deleting items from the negative list, Mahmood added.
He said that the issue of NTBs was discussed openly, and while the Indian side expressed its limitations in removing it immediately, it did agree to take corrective measures to address Pakistan's future.
Responding to a question about India's support for the European Union's stuck-up trade package for Pakistan, Mahmood said: "The package was tabled by the EU and will be defended by it when it comes to World Trade Organisation (WTO) forums.
"However, it is our desire to get this concession, but we have not made it part of the joint statement. It is between India and EU how they tackle it," he added. ANI
