India to review MFN status for Pakistan

Announcing that India would review the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status granted to Pakistan by it based on the security and trade interests on the grounds that “terror can’t be the commodity exported”, India proudly owned the surgical strikes carried out by the Army yet again on Thursday, saying it was done “with surgical precision”, the “desired result has been obtained” and the “intended message has been conveyed”.

On whether the government would put out the footage of the surgical strike in the public domain, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said any such decision “is determined solely by national security”. New Delhi also said it would not make any conversation public between the national security advisers of the two countries.

The MEA, however, refused to comment on reports in a prominent Pakistani newspaper that indicated a serious rift between Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif over the existence of terror camps and Pakistan’s diplomatic isolation. On cross-border terrorism, India said its security forces carried out “20 successful interdictions” on or along the LoC while stopping infiltration and neutralising terrorists.

“Promoting shared prosperity with neighbours has been the government’s priority but terror can’t be the commodity exported. We will undertake a review based on our security and trade interests,” Mr Swarup said when asked if India will review the MFN status given to Pakistan by India, unilaterally.

Asked about the recent conversation between the NSAs of India and Pakistan, he said the PMs of the two countries in January agreed that their NSAs will remain in touch and the details should not be made public. “India remains committed not to make it public.” Mr Swarup also said that the speech by Pakistan PM hailing Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani in the country’s Parliament shows Pakistan’s complicity in terrorism directed against India and was “self- implicating”.

On reports that Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an umbrella group of jihadi and Islamist outfits as Hafiz Saeed’s LeT, is organising a rally in Pakistan on October 28, he said India has always voiced its concerns at the freedom available to such internationally designated terrorists in Pakistan to conduct and promote anti-India activities openly. “It is up to the government of Pakistan to abide by its assurances that it will deny the use of its territory for such purposes,” he added.

“I would also remind you of what the DGMO said on September 29 that it is India’s intention to maintain peace and tranquillity in the region, but we can certainly not allow the terrorists to operate across the LoC with impunity and attack the citizens of our country,” he added.

“Our counter-terrorism operation on September 29 was to neutralise an imminent threat of terrorists ready to be launched from across the LoC. The Army was given a task which it carried out with surgical precision,” he said.

The desired result has been obtained. The intended message has been conveyed.”