Pak Cabinet approves suspension of bilateral trade with India

Pakistan Cabinet on Friday officially approved the suspension of bilateral trade ties with India, as had earlier been decided in the National Security Council's (NSC) meeting in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 with regard to Jammu and Kashmir by the Government of India.

The decision was taken during a session of the Federal Cabinet today, Geo News reported.

In a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday, the NSC had decided to downgrade its diplomatic ties and suspend bilateral trade with India. In addition, it had asked India to withdraw its High Commissioner from Islamabad and partially shut off its airspace.

Calling its steps in Jammu and Kashmir as an "entirely internal affair", India on Thursday had rejected Pakistan's unilateral move to downgrade diplomatic ties and asked Islamabad to review them so that normal channels for diplomatic communications are preserved.

"The intention behind these (Pakistan's) measures is obviously to present an alarming picture to the world of our bilateral ties. The reasons cited by Pakistan are not supported by facts on the ground," the MEA said.

The Ministry outlined that India's decisions are driven by a commitment to extending to Jammu and Kashmir opportunities for development that were earlier denied by a temporary provision in the Constitution.