The message that emerged from the secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan in Islamabad was 'no movement on Kashmir, no movement on most-favoured nation (MFN) treatment'.The talks on economic and commercial cooperation, one of the eight subjects in the composite dialogue process, ended with the two countries refusing to make any concessions. Commerce Secretary Dipak Chatterjee reportedly told the Pakistani side that it was inadvisable to bring politics "into everything". The joint statement released at the end of the two-day exercise said the two sides held "discussions in a frank and cordial atmosphere" and "wide ranging proposals were made on various aspects of economic and commercial cooperation which would be considered further". Talking to reporters in Islamabad, Pakistani Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan said Pakistan was ready to consider the most-favoured nation (MFN) status for India if a sustainable political dialogue process between the two countries got underway to resolve all "outstanding issues", an euphemism for Kashmir.According to reports in Pakistan, while their Commerce Secretary Tasleem Noorani stuck to the position that there must be some forward movement in the dialogue on 'disputes' like Kashmir, India sought MFN status, direct shipping between Mumbai and Karachi, transit of goods through Wagah to Afghanistan and the import of POL (petroleum, oil and lubricants) products from Pakistan.Pakistan, in passing, sought a softening of the high duty structure in India and the removal of non-tariff barriers. Pakistani newspapers quoted Chatterjee as saying India had sought MFN status and hoped the issue would be resolved in future talks, indicating the team had not reached a breakthrough.Noorani said India had "apparently" given MFN status to Pakistan, but did not allow Pakistan the facilities that the status entailed. He said both countries would make concessions when there was a "win-win situation". Pakistan also asked India to bring quality standard at par with Pakistan's, sources in Islamabad said. The Indian assessment of the talks is that there should be no disappointment on account of the lack of progress on the trade front as the holding of discussions was a breakthrough in itself. So far, there has been remarkably little progress even on promises made on either side. Pakistan's former Commerce Minister Dawood Ibrahim Razaak had, during his visit to India, announced a decision to allow import of textile machinery from India but this was never notified. Similarly, Pakistan has been claiming that despite the MFN status granted to it by New Delhi, the trade balance is titled heavily in India's favour.India's exports to Pakistan in 2003-04 was pegged at Rs 1,316.7 crore as against Rs 265.32 crore worth of imports from Pakistan. The two countries had signed a trade agreement in January 1975, which expired on January 1978. Thereafter, trade has continued without any agreements.
