AAP authorities in Punjab seeks to renew commerce with Pakistan

The National Conference of State Agriculture and Horticulture Ministers was held this 12 months on 14 July 2022 in Bengaluru. The convention was inaugurated by Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in presence of Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Health and Family Welfare, and Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai. In this convention,  the Aam Aadmi Party authorities in Punjab raised the demand to renew commerce with Pakistan which was suspended by Pakistan in response to the Modi authorities’s historic resolution of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. This demand was raised by Punjab Minister for Agriculture and Farmers and AAP chief Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal through the convention.

Notably, the minutes of this convention have been circulated to all of the Agriculture Production Commissioners (APCs), principal secretaries, and the administrators of agriculture of all of the states.

The data of the discussions reveal that, amongst different issues, Dhaliwal demanded the resumption of bilateral commerce with Pakistan. He requested that commerce with Pakistan be reopened, in response to the data. It is vital to notice that no different state raised this demand.

Screenshot from the minutes of the convention

According to the data, the Punjab authorities’s demand for the reopening of commerce with Pakistan was included within the checklist of “action points emerging from the discussion with the state governments” ready following the convention. This checklist of “action points” has additionally been launched, as have the convention minutes. Dhaliwal’s different requests, corresponding to offering agricultural enter assist in border areas which might be almost 14,000 acres, allocating Rs 1,000 crore for chilly storage for greens, monetary help to cease stubble burning, farm mortgage waivers, funds for agriculture college and monetary help to spice up groundwater ranges, have additionally been included into the motion factors.

BJP has slammed the Aam Aadmi Party because the ‘Pak Parast Party’ over the AAP-led Punjab authorities’s demand to reopen commerce ties with Pakistan.

Shehzad Poonawalla, the nationwide spokesperson of the BJP, took to Twitter and stated, “Punjab’s AAP govt sought resumption of trade ties with Pakistan-demand was raised by Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal- AAP minister. AAP’s Pakistan Parasti parallels Congress Pak prem! Much like Congress AAP had questioned surgical strike, demanded Balakot proof, blamed Pulwama on India.”

Punjab’s AAP govt sought resumption of commerce ties with Pakistan-demand was raised by Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal- AAP minister

AAP’s Pakistan Parasti parallels Congress pak prem! Much like Congress AAP had questioned surgical strike, demanded Balkote proof, blamed Pulwama on India pic.twitter.com/V8npjRRY1W

— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) October 12, 2022

“On one hand Kejriwal claims he is a kattar desh bhakt but in reality, he is a votebank bhakt. From abusing Hindus to Pakistan parasti AAP is mirroring Congress. AAP is now PPP – Pak Parast Party,” Ponawalla wrote in one other tweet.

On one hand Kejriwal claims he’s a kattar desh bhakt however in actuality he’s a votebank bhakt

From abusing Hindus to Pakistan parasti AAP is mirroring Congress

AAP is now PPP – Pak Parast Party pic.twitter.com/NByVU1ej1v

— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) October 12, 2022

Notably, Pakistan had unilaterally suspended commerce with India in August 2019 to protest the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August 2019. Then Foreign Minister of Pakistan,  Shah Mahmood Qureshi had opined that there could possibly be no normalization of ties till New Delhi reverses its resolution to revoke the particular standing of Jammu and Kashmir. However, compelled by the circumstances, Pakistan later allowed restricted commerce with India.

Previously, India had withdrawn the standing of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) to Pakistan on February 15, 2019, following the cowardly terrorist assault in Pulwama through which 40 safety personnel have been martyred. Interestingly, India accorded MFN standing to Pakistan in 1996, whereas Pakistan didn’t implement its November 2, 2011 resolution to accord the identical standing to India. 

After the withdrawal of MFN from Pakistan, the essential customs responsibility on all items exported from Pakistan to India was additionally elevated to 200% on February 16, 2019.