Majority of Pakistanis favour trade ties with India: Survey

Even as the Pakistan government dithers on granting MFN-status to India, 63 % of Pakistanis are in favour of trade ties with New Delhi, a new poll said today.

 

According to a Gilani Research Foundation survey carried out by Gallup Pakistan, a majority of Pakistanis are in favour of trade ties.

 

A nationally representative sample from across the country's four provinces was asked: "In your opinion should Pakistan trade with India or not?" Responding to this, 63 % said "Yes" and 33 % said "No". 4 % did not respond.

 

The same question was asked earlier in June 2012, and at that time too, most respondents answered in favour of establishing close trade ties with India (67 %).

 

The survey covered 2,639 men and women in rural and urban areas of all four provinces during July 16-22.

 

Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar recently said that granting of Most Favoured Nation-status to India was not on the table "for the time being".

 

The remarks came within days of the World Bank saying in a report that Pakistan would benefit from granting MFN-status to India.

 

Pakistan last year moved to a negative list regime for trade with India. Islamabad was to have eliminated the negative list regime in December and granted MFN-status to India but it missed its own December 31 deadline for the change.

 

The previous government had put on hold the move to give MFN-status after opposition from industries and hardline groups like Jamaat-ud-Dawah.

 

India granted MFN-status to Pakistan way back in 1996.

 

Bilateral trade stood at $ 2.35 billion in 2012-13, as against $ 1.93 billion in the earlier fiscal.