On%20Wednesday%2031st%20March%2C%20Pakistan%27s%20Finance%20Minister%20Hammad%20Azhar%20had%20announced%20that%20Pakistan%20would%20allow%20limited%20imports%20of%20cotton%2C%20sugar%20and%20wheat%20from%20India%20in%20order%20to%20rein%20in%20rampant%20inflation.%20Within%2024%20hours%2C%20the%20Pakistan%20government%20made%20a%20U-turn%20on%20this%20decision.

It%20is%20significant%20that%20the%20Finance%20Minister%20had%20stated%20that%20the%20decision%20to%20allow%20the%20imports%20was%20made%20%27in%20the%20interest%20of%20the%20people%27.%20Logically%2C%20therefore%2C%20the%20decision%20not%20to%20allow%20these%20imports%20will%20be%20harmful%20to%20the%20people%27s%20interests%21

Explaining%20the%20Pakistan%20government%27s%20decision%2C%20Interior%20Minister%20Sheikh%20Rashid%20Ahmed%20told%20reporters%20the%20decision%20had%20been%20%22deferred%22%20until%20India%20restored%20Kashmir%27s%20special%20status.%20Well%20known%20as%20an%20India-baiter%2C%20his%20words%20remind%20me%20of%20an%20anecdote.

Also%20Read%20%7C%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/pakistan-fails-to-keep-india-out-of-afghan-peace-process%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EPakistan%20fails%20to%20keep%20India%20out%20of%20Afghan%20peace%20process%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

Once%20there%20was%20an%20essay%20contest%20for%20students%20from%20different%20countries.%20The%20topic%20for%20the%20essay%20was%20the%20elephant%2C%20and%20the%20students%20were%20asked%20to%20write%20on%20any%20aspect%20that%20they%20chose.%20The%20British%20student%20wrote%20on%20%u2018The%20elephant%20and%20the%20British%20Empire%u2019%3B%20the%20American%20student%20wrote%20on%20%u2018The%20elephant%20as%20a%20business%20proposition%u2019%3B%20the%20Indian%20wrote%20on%20%u2018The%20elephant%20as%20an%20endangered%20species%u2019%3B%20while%20the%20French%20wrote%20on%20%u2018The%20love%20life%20of%20the%20elephant%u2019.%20What%20did%20the%20Pakistani%20student%20write%20on%3F%20He%20wrote%20on%20%u2018The%20elephant%20and%20the%20Kashmir%20problem%u2019.

Anyone%20who%20has%20followed%20Indo-Pak%20relations%20is%20bound%20to%20be%20skeptical%20about%20the%20future.%20Without%20doubt%2C%20the%20single%20biggest%20factor%20that%20has%20bedeviled%20the%20relationship%2C%20and%20which%20continues%20to%20do%20so%20is%20Pakistan%27s%20obsession%20with%20Kashmir.%20Pakistan%20genuinely%20believes%20that%20it%20can%20snatch%20away%20Kashmir%20from%20India.

Also%20Read%20%7C%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/some-positive-signs-in-india-pakistan-relations%22%3E%3Cstrong%3ESome%20positive%20signs%20in%20India-Pakistan%20relations%3F%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

This%20obsession%20with%20Kashmir%20also%20imparts%20a%20negativism%20in%20Pakistan%u2019s%20approach%20to%20all%20matters%20relating%20to%20India.%20During%20my%20diplomatic%20career%2C%20I%20had%20many%20opportunities%20to%20participate%20in%20meetings%20with%20Pakistani%20delegations%20and%20I%20could%20not%20help%20notice%20how%20their%20negativism%20was%20harming%20their%26nbsp%3Bown%20people.

It%20is%20this%20negativism%20which%20has%20made%20the%20Pakistan%20government%20make%20a%20U-turn%20in%20regard%20to%20their%20decision%20to%20import%20sugar%2C%20wheat%20and%20cotton%20from%20India.%20For%20example%2C%20%2C%20sugar%20imported%20from%20India%20would%20be%2020%25%20cheaper%20than%20from%20any%20other%20source%2C%20and%20the%20common%20man%20in%20Pakistan%2C%20already%20crushed%20by%20high%20inflation%20would%20have%20been%20a%20gainer.%20Again%2C%20the%20textile%20industry%20is%20clamouring%20for%20cotton%20imports%20from%20India%20as%20it%20is%20functioning%20below%20capacity%20due%20to%20a%20shortage%20of%20this%20vital%20raw%20material.

Also%20Read%7C%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/will-pakistanis-ever-stand-up-to-their-armys-oppression%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EWill%20Pakistanis%20ever%20stand%20up%20to%20their%20army%27s%20oppression%3F%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

Without%20doubt%2C%20Pakistan%20has%20decided%20to%20overlook%20the%20interests%20of%20its%20people%3B%20its%20negative%20approach%20will%20not%20hurt%20Indians%20as%20much%20as%20it%20will%20hurt%20its%20own%20citizens.

I%20recall%20some%20interesting%20snippets%20from%20my%20posting%20in%20Karachi%20in%20the%20early%201980%27s.%20Pakistan%20had%20banned%20Indian%20items%20barring%20a%20few%20which%20were%20needed%20by%20its%20industries.%20However%2C%20because%20of%20their%20competitiveness%2C%20Indian%20goods%20still%20found%20their%20way%20into%20Pakistan.%20Smugglers%20were%20very%20active%20along%20the%20border%20and%20many%20Indian%20items%20reached%20the%20Pakistanis%20through%20them.%20Interestingly%2C%20Indian%20made%20whiskey%20was%20also%20among%20the%20items%20that%20got%20smuggled%20in%2C%20and%20brands%20like%20Haywards%20and%20Black%20Knight%20were%20available%20at%20a%20high%20premium%20in%20Karachi.%20I%20often%20had%20Indian%20whiskey%20at%20the%20homes%20of%20Pakistanis%21

Also%20Read%20%7C%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/pakistans-unending-wish-to-do-a-bangladesh-to-india%22%3E%3Cstrong%3E%20When%20a%20Pakistan%20military%20officer%20confessed%20his%20hopes%20for%20avenging%20Bangladesh%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

Again%2C%20many%20Indian%20products%20used%20to%20be%20imported%20by%20Pakistani%20importers%20through%20Dubai%20or%20Singapore%2C%20but%20with%20the%20manufacturers%u2019%20labels%20changed%20and%20%u2018Made%20in%20India%u2019%20tags%20removed%21%20They%20had%20found%20a%20way%20to%20overcome%20the%20obstacles.

Then%2C%20there%20was%20a%20third%20method%20by%20which%20some%20Indian%20goods%20used%20to%20find%20their%20way%20into%20the%20Pakistani%20market.%20Pakistan%20had%20given%20transit%20facilities%20for%20Indian%20exports%20to%20Afghanistan%3B%20Pakistani%20businessmen%20in%20tandem%20with%20Afghan%20importers%20made%20sure%20that%20many%20items%20exported%20from%20India%20to%20Afghanistan%20never%20went%20beyond%20Peshawar%21%26nbsp%3B%20Truck%20tyres%20were%20one%20such%20item.%20I%20was%20often%20surprised%20that%20Afghanistan%20was%20importing%20such%20a%20large%20quantity%20of%20tyres%20till%20I%20understood%20what%20was%20really%20happening.%20The%20tyres%20were%20not%20entering%20Afghanistan%20at%20all%20but%20were%20being%20unloaded%20in%20Peshawar%20itself.%20Pakistani%20vehicles%20were%20merrily%20running%20all%20around%20the%20country%20on%20Indian%20tyres%21

Also%20Read%7C%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/finally-pakistanis-to-get-vaccinated-by-india%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinally%2C%20Pakistanis%20to%20get%20vaccinated%20by%20India%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

The%20simple%20fact%20was%20that%20the%20smuggling%20of%20Indian%20goods%20deprived%20the%20Pakistani%20state%20of%20revenue.%20Again%2C%20importing%20them%20through%20third%20countries%20instead%20of%20direct%20imports%20from%20India%20only%20increased%20their%20costs%20for%20consumers.%20However%2C%20this%20is%20not%20something%20that%20Pakistani%20authorities%20were%20bothered%20about%20when%20I%20was%20posted%20in%20Karachi%20in%20the%20early%201980%27s.%20Nor%20are%20they%20bothered%20about%20the%20shortage%20of%20cotton%20for%20their%20textile%20industry%20or%20the%20crushing%20effects%20of%20rampant%20inflation%20on%20the%20common%20man.

It%20is%20tragic%20that%20Pakistan%20is%20unable%20to%20give%20up%20its%20habit%20of%20cutting%20its%20nose%20to%20spite%20its%20face.

%3Ci%3E%28Disclaimer%3A%20The%20views%20expressed%20in%20this%20article%20are%20personal.%20They%20do%20not%20reflect%20the%20opinions%20or%20views%20of%20Opoyi.%29%3C/i%3E

%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23IndiaPakistanTies%22%20data-user-id%3D%22a5Sxa7KNymiK%22%20href%3D%22/topic/indiapakistanties%22%3E%23IndiaPakistanTies%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23ImranKhan%22%20data-user-id%3D%22tbL4Yp2U2lPN%22%20href%3D%22/topic/imrankhan%22%3E%23ImranKhan%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Diplomacy%22%20data-user-id%3D%22G8IwDUiIFaNN%22%20href%3D%22/topic/diplomacy%22%3E%23Diplomacy%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Pakistan%22%20data-user-id%3D%22wizuXkuQ3rL8%22%20href%3D%22/topic/pakistan%22%3E%23Pakistan%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23India%22%20data-user-id%3D%22Bq4MmUPrXF8p%22%20href%3D%22/topic/india%22%3E%23India%3C/a%3E%26nbsp%3B