Negative list for trade with India to be phased out by Dec: Pak

The negative list regime for trade with India will be phased out by December after the move is approved by the federal cabinet, Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim has said.

The negative list allows trade in all but 1,209 items, Fahim said in a written reply to a question in the National  Assembly or lower house of Parliament on Wednesday.

Pakistan switched from a positive to a negative list regime earlier this year and has decided in principle to give India Most Favoured Nation-status by the

beginning of next year.

Fahim said inexpensive vehicles under 1000cc can be imported from India. The negative list contains a total of 385 items of the automobile sector.

Of these, 19 are different types of vehicles and the remaining items are primarily components for vehicles.

The vehicles in the negative category do not fall in the inexpensive category but reflect a mixture of various types and price ranges, he said.

A total of 49 items of the pharmaceutical sector are in the negative list, including finished products added to the list to protect domestic manufacturers.