Islamabad: The Cabinet of Pakistan rejected the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) decision to import Sugar and Cotton from India. This information was given in the media reports. The decision came after Pakistan’s new finance minister Hammad Azhar announced on Wednesday that he announced the withdrawal of the nearly two-year-old ban on the import of cotton and sugar from India after the ECC meeting chaired by him. was.
Jio TV news quoted sources as saying that the ECC proposal to import cotton yarn and sugar from India was rejected at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday. There is currently no official statement on the Cabinet decision.
Prior to the cabinet meeting, Khan’s close aide and human rights minister Shirin Mazari said that all the decisions of the ECC required cabinet approval, and only then they were considered “approved” by the government. Mazari, known for his tough stance on Kashmir, tweeted, “For the record alone – all ECC decisions require cabinet approval, and only then are they considered ‘government approved’.” Therefore, in today’s meeting of the Cabinet, the decisions of the ECC, including trade with India, will be discussed and a decision will be taken by the government after that. The media should at least be aware of this. ”
The announcement of Azhar’s import of cotton and sugar from India on Wednesday raised hopes of a partial resumption of bilateral trade relations. Since India’s withdrawal of special status to Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019, the two countries have stalled trade relations. India is the world’s largest cotton producer and the second-largest sugar producer. Pakistan in May 2020 lifted the ban on the import of essential medicines and raw materials for essential medicines from India amid the Covid-19 epidemic.
