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- Miftah Ismail says the government may import vegetables from the neighboring country due to floods
- Pakistan downgraded trade relations with India after New Delhi revoked Kashmir’s special status in 2019
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s finance minister Miftah Ismail on Monday hinted at the possibility of resuming trade with India, reported the state-owned media, after he said that the country could import vegetables from the neighboring state in the wake of the recent floods.
Massive rains in Pakistan have destroyed cotton, rice and other crops in various parts of the country since the beginning of the monsoon season in mid-June.
Some experts have also warned that the country may find it difficult to sow the next wheat crop due to the damage to agricultural lands in certain regions.
Pakistan already reported 25 percent inflation July, mainly due to the escalating food prices in the country.
“The finance minister said the government can consider importing vegetables and other edible items from India for the facilitation of the people in wake of the destruction of standing crops in Pakistan due to recent floods,” said Radio Pakistan.
The minister expressed fear that the shortage of food items could further increase the rates of these commodities in the coming months.
Pakistan downgraded its trade relations with India after New Delhi revoked the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.
Since then, the two countries have also experienced significant diplomatic tensions between them and their leaders have avoided to interact even on multilateral forums.