Plea to allow Indian goods’ distribution from Pak ports

Islamabad, Aug 18 (IANS) The Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) has appealed to the government to allow the distribution of Indian origin goods in local markets that have already arrived at Pakistani airports or seaport, the media reported on Sunday.

In its plea, the EFP said it feared that life-saving drugs, which are imported from India as raw material or in finished form, might vanish from the market and requested to relax the rules until some alternative source for the import is arranged, reports Dawn news.

EFP Vice President Zaki Ahmed Khan said in a statement on Saturday that the manufacturers of Pakistan fully supported the decision of the government to suspend all trade with India.

"This has sent a strong and favourable message to the business community to source their imports and exports from countries that are not inimical to the sovereignty of Pakistan," he said.

However, Khan said that Indian goods which had reached airports or seaports should be exempted.

He said that APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients), imported from India to manufacture life-saving products by the pharmaceutical industry of Pakistan, should be allowed on the condition that the pharmaceutical companies would immediately develop alternative sources of these APIs within a reasonable and mutually agreed upon time with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.

Pakistan has formally suspended its bilateral trade with India with immediate effect and until further orders, in retaliation against New Delhi's decision on August 5 to revoke Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.