China lauds Pakistan's 'Most Favoured Nation' status to India.
Beijing, Nov 3 : China today welcomed the Pakistan government's decision to grant 'Most Favored Nation' (MFN) status to India.
"As a neighbor and friend of India and Pakistan, China will continue to support the two sides to improve relations through dialogue and cooperation and accomplish collaborative development," Xinhua quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, as saying.
"Both India and Pakistan are important countries in south Asia. Their improving bilateral relations are vital for the area's peace, stability, and development," he added.
Earlier, on Wednesday, Pakistan's Cabinet unanimously decided to grant India the trade status, a major breakthrough that could bolster efforts to improve relations between the nuclear-armed rivals.
The MFN status for India comes in return for lifting non-tariff restrictions on imports from Pakistan.
The MFN status provides trade equality among partners by ensuring that an importing country will not discriminate against another country''s goods in favour of those from a third.
Religious parties oppose MFN status for India.
ISLAMABAD: The leadership of leading national religious parties denouncing the government's likely decision to award Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India stated that it would damage the ongoing Kashmir liberation movement.
Talking to our sources Sahibzada Haji Fazle Karim, president Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan expressed his resentment over the issue stated that granting MFN status to India without solution of Kashmir dispute would be tantamount to betray with 90,000 martyred Kashmiris who shed their blood for liberation of the valley. "We are not against developing bilateral trade ties with India, however, it should not be started before resolving the core issue of Kashmir as well as other long standing issues between the two neighboring rivals," he maintained.
Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Syed Munawar Hassan said the government is conferring MFN status to India following the order of USA. Terming it as a historic blunder, he said it is not only against the strategic interests of Pakistan but would be betrayal with sacrifices of Kashmiris. "India has not only been involved in massacring the Kashmiris, struggling for the right of self-determination but also engaged in hatching conspiracies in Afghanistan and Balochistan to destabilize Pakistan", he lamented. He further said the government should take the leadership of Kashmir on the board; otherwise, the unilateral decision would make Kashmiris believe that Pakistan has left them in the lurch.
Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith (MJAH) President Senator Sajid Mir in an anguish tone put a question to the government, "what favour New Delhi has given to the government that Islamabad was so keen for granting it the MFN status." "India has been involved in subverting Pakistan and distorting its image at international level, while, the PPP government in a sheer contrast to this fact, looks impatient to declare India most favourite nation for trade", he added.
He asked the foreign minister to explain the circumstance forcing Islamabad to go for the decision even without solving Kashmir issue, water dilemma and other long-standing disputes with India. The decision would have serious implications on Kashmir freedom movement, he added.
Yahya Mujahid, spokesman of Jamaatud dawa said possible decision would convey a negative message to the Kashmiris fighting for accomplishing the unfinished agenda of creation of Pakistan (seeking accession of the valley to Pakistan).
Maulana Amjad of Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI-F) said it would push the Kashmir issue to the backburner. He urged the government to take all the stakeholders, especially the Kashmiris into confidence before taking such a major decision. He opined India had always cheated Pakistan and in this situation the rulers were taking decisions against the public opinion. He said the party would have no objection provided India accepts Kashmiri people right to self-determination and resolve the long-standing issue in accordance with the UN resolutions.
Nawaz Kharal, Information Secretary Sunni Ittehad Council terming the decision as most imprudent said even military dictators in the past could not go that far. The decision of an elected government, he said, was tantamount to sabotaging the freedom struggle of Kashmiris. MFN status to India should be a pre-condition for resolution of Kashmir issue, he urged.
Source