Indian goods being taken to Nato troops via Pakistan

[third eye]

DAWN.COM | Front Page | Indian goods being taken to Nato troops via Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Despite Pakistan’s refusal to let Indian products be taken to Afghanistan through its territory under the Afghan Transit Trade (ATT), Indian goods are being taken to the country via Pakistan under the tags of Isaf and Nato.

Documentary evidence placed in the National Assembly library may have failed to catch the attention of honourable parliamentarians, but International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) personnel are receiving Indian goods transported through Pakistan under special arrangements.

Soon after the US attacked Afghanistan, the military regime of General Pervez Musharraf offered a special concession whereby Isaf and Nato got a blanket cover for importing their cargoes through Pakistani ports and airports. The government issued the Customs General Order (CGO) 12/2002 for the purpose.

Such goods were given customs duty exemption and Pakistani customs officials were neither allowed nor they had any mechanism to check details of imported items and had to accept the information provided by the countries in the international alliance.

The present government made no changes in the arrangement introduced by the Musharraf regime.

A recent information sheet of cargoes meant for Nato transported through Pakistan carries the name Tata—a 66-seater bus—scores of other Indian brand items which are mentioned only as ‘Provisions for Isaf and Nato’.

Documents available with Dawn reveal that the facility was being regularly used since the start of the war on terror and Pakistan playing the role of a frontline state.

According to Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Hina Rabbani Khar, the movement of consignments for Isaf and Nato to Afghanistan is not covered by the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA) 1965, which is a bilateral accord.

Ms Khar provided the information in response to a question raised by Engineer Khurram Dastigir Khan of the PML-N.

She said that a special arrangement had been made by the former government for the movement of cargoes meant for Nato and Isaf through Pakistan which did not carry the provision of examination or physical checking of goods. This arrangement was worked out in consultation with the Federal Board of Revenue, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Commerce and it had since been working smoothly.

The minister also accepted that Nato countries seldom provided detailed description of the imported goods by them. This hesitation, the minister argued, might be because of heightened security concerns.

 

[politik]

Regarding "Soon after the US attacked Afghanistan, the military regime of General Pervez Musharraf offered a special concession whereby Isaf and Nato got a blanket cover..."

True, General Musharraf gave special concessions to everything as confessed by Collen Powel then secretary of state, they were surprised on such weak response from a military dictator but they took advantage of all of his weaknesses to further their regional plots.

 

[third eye]

Why the Macho image of one's self then ?

A ' bombed back to stone age' phone call can get the Taliban dropped, goods continue to pass through..

Why the show ?

 

[Naradmuni]

Why the Macho image of one's self then

Exactly, why the unsual chest thumping like this one or "we will not tolerate drones etc" then?

I think people need to get realistic and not jingoistic.

 

[illuminatus]

^^ You people always fail to understand the general opinion versus the GoP. Once you learn to differentiate between both you'll understand the picture.

 

[Sinnerman108]

Exactly, why the unsual chest thumping like this one or "we will not tolerate drones etc" then?

I think people need to get realistic and not jingoistic.

Well,
India is now a US friend,
soon enough you will experience the same phenomenon.
The public will be saying some thing in perfect unison.
but the Government will be doing some thing else, and most of the public will not even know about it.

Its called the "Amrika Dosti" syndrome it's an evolved form of the East India company virus.

It starts with USA starting to plant people in bureaucracy and molding the political game.

Next stage is when the US Embassy will start making all the RFPs and their Ambassador will start to poke in every business.

Some visible signs will include politicians / senior officers etc settling in USA, followed by most of the wealth being kept or invested in USA.

We have the virus deep in us.

Hope you guys find a cure soon enough.

 

[PlanetWarrior]

Well,
India is now a US friend,
soon enough you will experience the same phenomenon.
The public will be saying some thing in perfect unison.
but the Government will be doing some thing else, and most of the public will not even know about it.

Its called the "Amrika Dosti" syndrome it's an evolved form of the East India company virus.

It starts with USA starting to plant people in bureaucracy and molding the political game.

Next stage is when the US Embassy will start making all the RFPs and their Ambassador will start to poke in every business.

Some visible signs will include politicians / senior officers etc settling in USA, followed by most of the wealth being kept or invested in USA.

We have the virus deep in us.

Hope you guys find a cure soon enough.

Nope. What differentiates us from you is that we are not just a bunch of talkers who allow our politicians to be taken out once in awhile by our military only to have the general sahib in charge to sell our country to some other stronger nation just because we had some pipe dream of sorting out our stronger neighbors whom we had disagreements with using groups of ******** by sending them across the borders with bombs and machine guns. We don't harbour religious extremism even though we generally are united through our patriotism. We have a strong opposition and change our government through the ballot when we feel dissatisfied with the service. We are truly a sovereign nation and respected as such by most of the civilised world since they also regard us as a stable nation. We don't have as our main export boys with bombs so nobody really perceives us as a threat. We guard our borders and do not promote anti neighborly forces from launching attacks on our neighbours from our territory. We accept your division of our country and hope unto you the best even though we try to often figure out what exactly was your recipe for messing up such a viable peice of land allocated to you. You in turn are totally opposite to everything that we are which I have pointed out in this post. Your recipe for destroying your country and your identity is something that we do not share. We may laugh at you but trust me , we do not gloat at your failure. Go figure.

 

[notsuperstitious]

Well,
India is now a US friend,
soon enough you will experience the same phenomenon.
The public will be saying some thing in perfect unison.
but the Government will be doing some thing else, and most of the public will not even know about it.

Its called the "Amrika Dosti" syndrome it's an evolved form of the East India company virus.

It starts with USA starting to plant people in bureaucracy and molding the political game.

Next stage is when the US Embassy will start making all the RFPs and their Ambassador will start to poke in every business.

Some visible signs will include politicians / senior officers etc settling in USA, followed by most of the wealth being kept or invested in USA.

We have the virus deep in us.

Hope you guys find a cure soon enough.

I believe amrika has tried doing that to india all along even when we were not friendly, there was even more need to do that then.

Secondly, we are very aware of foreign influence in our politics and govt and have resisted it successfully even when we were much much less powerful and united as a nation, when our media and civic society were still not mature and literacy rates were even lower. I'm pretty sure we won't let it happen, but we must remain vigilent.

 

[RobbieS]

Agree with Warrior there. The political system in India acts as a self-check system.

India's democratic system, however flawed it may be keeps a check on whichever party is in government. Couple that withe coalition political and ascendancy of regional parties you have a motley crew of people who would never one strong notion dictate everybody.

The flip side is that things take ages before everybody agrees and it can be implemented. And the govt in power is left with too little actual power to drive forward its policies.

 

[gogbot]

Well,
India is now a US friend,
soon enough you will experience the same phenomenon.
The public will be saying some thing in perfect unison.
but the Government will be doing some thing else, and most of the public will not even know about it.

Its called the "Amrika Dosti" syndrome it's an evolved form of the East India company virus.

It starts with USA starting to plant people in bureaucracy and molding the political game.

Next stage is when the US Embassy will start making all the RFPs and their Ambassador will start to poke in every business.

Some visible signs will include politicians / senior officers etc settling in USA, followed by most of the wealth being kept or invested in USA.

We have the virus deep in us.

Hope you guys find a cure soon enough.

One key difference Sir.

Indian politicians are just as a corrupt, Bureaucratic and power hungry as the Americans if not more.

Most to India's political parties are very powerful in their own right,

And Unlike Pakistan where Military dictatorships have run the country with remote sprinkles of democracy.

we have had 13 general elections with strong political power base.
While the democracy itself may still be flawed, It's run by very powerful individuals and groups, Who have never one's to cave into foreign demands.

People forget in 1971 we looked the eagle in the eye and did not blink.

Whats make you think the US can just waltz into India and then start calling the shots, most of the ministers will be in Uproar at the very thought.

And the Rabid dogs of the Indian Media would tear apart any party that has ministers even entertaining that kind of notion.

They will be out of politics so fast, not a single member of their family will ever be allowed to run for any kind of office again.

 

[Bhushan]

^^ You people always fail to understand the general opinion versus the GoP. Once you learn to differentiate between both you'll understand the picture.

GoP represents common Pakistani as this government is elected by democratic elections.When a party is elected to majority....its not the party but its ideology wins.

 

[Sinnerman108]

^^^^^
Agreed with every thing that is said.

India will most probably find a solution to the virus.

I say most probably because the Virus is very smart and mutates in all sorts
of new versions.

Best of luck !

 

[third eye]

Well,
India is now a US friend,
soon enough you will experience the same phenomenon.
The public will be saying some thing in perfect unison.
but the Government will be doing some thing else, and most of the public will not even know about it.

Its called the "Amrika Dosti" syndrome it's an evolved form of the East India company virus.

It starts with USA starting to plant people in bureaucracy and molding the political game.

Next stage is when the US Embassy will start making all the RFPs and their Ambassador will start to poke in every business.

Some visible signs will include politicians / senior officers etc settling in USA, followed by most of the wealth being kept or invested in USA.

We have the virus deep in us.

Hope you guys find a cure soon enough.

The points raised & concerns shown are valid, and it is also possible that India too may succumb to a trap like Pk.

However, the chances are less because of the institutions the nation has nurtured over decades which are a natural corollary to democracy - the opposition & parliament will not allow the GOI to engage itself beyond a point without adequate check & balances.

The 123 deal is an example.

 

[ek_indian]

^^^^^
Agreed with every thing that is said.

India will most probably find a solution to the virus.

I say most probably because the Virus is very smart and mutates in all sorts
of new versions.

Best of luck !

They might be smart but we had Chanakya once who, fortunaely, wrote a good amount of things to work upon.

BTW, If we carefully look at the Congress and BJP led alliances, they are similar in all major national intersts though they have different ways to do this. No one can afford to go against anything that is not "national"....otherwise he is much needed shikar for everyone media, NGO and lastly public at the top.