Pakistan to negotiate negative list with India once composite dialogue starts: Dar

[khanboy007]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is ready to negotiate with India to minimize the negative list once the composite dialogue between the two countries starts on all subjects, including Kashmir, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said.
"Once the composite dialogue with India starts on all subjects, including Kashmir, then we will be ready to negotiate with them to minimize the negative list," said Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in an exclusive interview with Arab News.

He said, "Non-discriminatory market access (NDMA) is the new terminology used between us. We will try to reduce the negative list to bare minimum."

Dar said that the government has a very clear plan as it wants regional peace, regional trade connectivity, regional promotion of business and investment.

At one side, Pakistan is working with China to make an economic corridor, which will reduce the distance to half from China to Gwadar and will cut the freight to half.

It is also working with Afghanistan and Tajikistan for the CASA-1000 electricity transmission line.

He said Pakistan will be working with India. "We worked with the previous (Indian) government. We want to ease visa restrictions for both countries' businessmen, visitors, tourists, and we want to expand the trade between the two countries."

Pakistan's trade with India is reasonable but it can be expanded further, the finance minister remarked.

Dar said he personally saw a good potential in Pakistan's relations with India, "but that depends on how India moves."

He said Pakistan was handling terrorism, which is unfortunately an evil and needs to be jointly handled.

"We are working very hard and have suffered the most, lost $103 billion because of terrorism and post 9/11 due to which the economy suffered the most.

We have lost more than 40,000 people in the last one decade, including almost 5,000 soldiers and have paid the heaviest price for terrorism", he added.

To a question on the suspension of flights to Pakistan by foreign airlines, Dar said: "What has happened in Peshawar recently is unfortunate. Once we sort out things, we are sure the foreign airlines will resume flights."

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2014
Pakistan to negotiate negative list with India once composite dialogue starts: Dar

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