External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar confirmed on Wednesday that there have been no discussions with Pakistan regarding the resumption of trade since last year.
“After last year, there have been no talks with Pakistan on trade, nor has any initiative come from their side,” Jaishankar stated during a press conference.
Jaishankar clarified that India never halted trade with Pakistan. Instead, the suspension was a unilateral decision made by Pakistan in 2019.
“From the outset, our stance was for India to receive Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status. While we extended MFN status to Pakistan, they never reciprocated,” Jaishankar added.
In August 2019, the Imran Khan-led Pakistan government suspended all bilateral trade with India in response to the abrogation of Article 370, which revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. This move was accompanied by the downgrading of diplomatic ties with New Delhi.