Pak puts riders on reduction of negative list of trade items with India

Lahore, May 8 (ANI): Pakistan's Commerce Secretary Zafar Mahmood has said the country has made the removal of non-tariff bearers (NTBs) by the Indian side a condition to phase out its negative list of trade items by December.

Mahmood, while addressing the second session of the second Indo-Pak Economic Conference, said the Pakistan Cabinet took a historic decision on February 29 of reducing negative list to only 1,209 items.

However, the cabinet decided that this list will be phased out by December 31, provided India assures level playing fields for Pakistani traders, reports the Daily Times.

"Our friends in India can do a lot in ensuring level playing fields for traders hailing from other side of the borders," he said, adding that India had given concessions in trade to all countries in SAARC, except Pakistan. (ANI)