According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday, Pakistan’s trade stance with India has not changed.
The Ministry of Commerce is responsible for 57 trade missions in 46 countries, including the position of Minister (Trade and Investment) in New Delhi, India.
The job of Minister (Trade and Investment) in New Delhi has been vacant for more than two decades and has nothing to do with the current operationalization of trade with India.
The current cycle for selecting Trade and Investment Officers (TIOs), which includes New Delhi, began in December 2021, and the Interview Board’s final recommendations were delivered to the Prime Minister’s Office on April 1, 2022, i.e. under the previous administration.
As a result, the appointment of a Minister (Trade and Investment) in New Delhi should not be interpreted as a relaxation of trade restrictions with India.
Earlier, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a former foreign minister and Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, claimed that Shehbaz Sharif had decided to resume trade with India and that the government should reconsider its decision.
In an interview with the media, Shah Mahmood stated, “It has come to our attention that Shehbaz Sharif’s government has decided to resume trade with India, and that he was deploying 15 officers to the Pakistani Embassy in India. We had opposed the resumption of trade with India after the discussion in the cabinet at that time.”
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