ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to boycott the World Trade Organisation (WTO) summit being held in India after tensions between the two arch rivals witnessed new heights in the recent weeks.
Last month, India had invited Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Pervez Malik to participate in the informal WTO ministerial meeting taking place in New Delhi on March 19-20.
Pakistan had originally planned to send commerce minister to India to attend the meeting. However, officials from the Ministry of Commerce have now confirmed that nobody would attend the meeting and that the decision has already been conveyed to India.
The officials said that the decision to skip the meeting was taken in view of the recent incidents of harassment of Pakistani diplomats and their families in New Delhi. “Indian government has been asked to change its policy before expecting Pakistan to attend summits in New Delhi,” they said.
Apart from Pakistan, India has also invited ministers from Australia, China, European Union, the US and several African countries to the conference.
The meeting will discuss challenges being faced by the multilateral trade body.
Published in Daily Times, March 18th 2018.
