Pak religious parties denounce govt. decision to grant MFN status to India

Islamabad, Oct 28(ANI): Pakistan's leading religious parties have denounced the government's decision to award Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India.

"What favour has New Delhi given to the government that Islamabad was so keen for granting it the MFN status?" the Daily Times quoted Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith (MJAH) President Senator Sajid Mir, as questioning.

"India has been involved in subverting Pakistan and distorting its image at international level," he claimed, adding that in sheer contrast, the "PPP government looks impatient to declare India most favourite nation for trade."

Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Syed Munawar Hassan claimed that the Pakistan government was conferring MFN status to India on the order of the United States.

Terming it as a historic blunder, he said it was 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 alleged.

Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan President Sahibzada Haji Fazle Karim expressed his resentment over the issue, saying, "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 neighbouring rivals."

Sunni Ittehad Council's Information Secretary Nawaz Kharal termed the decision as the most imprudent, and said that even military dictators in the past could not go that far.

Granting MFN status to India should be a pre-condition for resolution of the Kashmir issue, he added. (ANI)