I NDIA AND P AKISTAN

The Defence Secretary level talks between Pakistan and India and on Siachen were held at the Ministry of Defence, Rawalpindi on 11 – 12 June 2012. The talks were held in a cordial and friendly atmosphere.

The conclusion of the talks was that both nations reaffirmed their resolve to make serious, sustained and result oriented efforts for seeking an amicable resolution of Siachen. It was agreed to continue dialogue on Siachen. Both countries acknowledged that the ceasefire was holding since

2003. It was agreed that the next round of talks on Siachen will be held in New Delhi on mutually convenient dates, to be fixed through diplomatic channels. Both India and Pakistan want to demilitarize Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield. However, they have differences over the modalities. India wants the Actual Ground Position Line to be authenticated before withdrawal of troops from Siachen while Pakistan wants demilitarization first.

♦ Indian government on 1 August 2012 decided to allow investment from Pakistan with the objective of boosting

bilateral economic relations. However, India kept out strategic sectors of defence, space and atomic energy from Pakistan. Pakistan can explore sectors like cement, textiles and sports for

investments in India. Besides, the FDI proposals from Pakistan need to be cleared from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). It is important to note that India had granted the MFN status to Pakistan in 1996. Although Pakistan had notified granting the MFN status to India in March 2012, it is yet to implement it fully. However, Pakistan had partially liberalised its trade regime with India in March 2012 by shifting from positive list rules to negative. It means that barring 1209 items Pakistan will allow import of all other Indian goods. can explore sectors like cement, textiles and sports for investments in the country. ♦ India on 8 June 2012

announced to allow foreign direct investment from Pakistan. The move is aimed at strengthening the bilateral economic relations between the two countries. The decision will also facilitate the economic integration in the South Asian region. The Union Finance Ministry had received a proposal by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) seeking changes in Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to allow FDI from Pakistan. Under the present FDI policy, a Pakistani citizen or an entity incorporated in

there is not allowed to invest in India. The Government had earlier allowed investments from Bangladesh under the FIPB route. The bilateral trade between India and Pakistan for the year 2010-11 stood at 2.7 billion dollar. With 2.32 billion dollar exports, India dominated the trade, which grew at a rate of 47 per cent and also approaching forward to occupy 1 per cent share of Indian global exports. ♦ A nine-member Pakistani delegation has arrived in India to learn from its experience of polio eradication. Pakistan saw a manifold rise in polio cases this year, and is one of the three countries, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, where the infectious viral disease is still prevalent. India became polio-free in January this year, after one full year without a single case being reported. It has subsequently been removed from the WHO list of polio-endemic countries. Led by Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani’s special assistant on polio, the Pakistan team will call on officials of the Union Health Ministry here on Thursday.

The delegation, comprising health officials of districts along the Indian border, will also visit a polio camp. Altaf Bosan, National Coordinator of the Prime Minister

on Polio, will accompany the team. Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation, in a resolution, has impressed on member-states with polio virus transmission to declare it a “national public health emergency,” making polio virus eradication a national priority programme, requiring the development and full implementation of emergency action plans, to be updated every six months, till such time the virus transmission has been interrupted. The resolution declares completion of polio virus eradication a programmatic emergency for global public health, requiring full implementation of the existing and new eradication strategies, the institution of strong national oversight, and accountability mechanisms for all areas affected with the virus. The members have been asked to eliminate unimmunised areas and maintain very high population immunity against polio viruses through routine immunisation. Where necessary, they should supplement immunisation activities, maintain vigil for polio virus importation and emergence of circulating vaccine-derived polio viruses, and to make available urgently the financial resources required for the full and continued implementation, till 2013, of the strategic approaches to interrupt polio virus transmission globally, and to initiate planning for financing to the end of 2018 the polio endgame strategy.

More importantly, the resolution asks the WH Director- General to undertake the development, scientific vetting and rapid finalisation of a comprehensive eradication and endgame strategy, and inform the

member-states of the potential timing of a switch from the trivalent to bivalent oral polio virus vaccine for all routine immunisation programmes, and to coordinate with all partners including manufacturers to promote research, production and supply of vaccines to enhance their affordability, effectiveness and accessibility.