New Delhi, July 11
A queer thing has happened, and is happening, in India-Pakistan relations which may well be an indicator of diplomatic developments to come.

On May 9 this year, the Revenue Division of Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance issued a notification listing 12 food items to be imported from India through the Wagah border. The move had the potential of revolutionising Indo-Pak ties as it meant, if implemented in letter and spirit, a reversal of Pakistan’s not-too-old policy of Kashmir-first-trade-later.

Moreover, the notification meant it would be the first time in decades when India and Pakistan would start trade links through the land route. So far, whatever direct trade worth a few million US dollars is taking place between the two countries is through train.

But it proved to be a storm in a teacup. The Indians were not aware of the Pakistani notification till news reports started appearing in the Pakistani media. The Indian mission in Islamabad asked the Foreign Office to deny such wrong reports, but was told that the reports were indeed correct.

It was only after this that the Pakistanis gave a copy of the notification to the Indians. This happened earlier this month.

The things, however, stand where they were before the May 9 notification and no trade worth any name is taking place with Pakistan through the land route, Mr Jangbahadur Sangha, a member of the Jalandhar Potato Growers Association, confirmed to this correspondent on phone from Jalandhar this evening. The May 9 notification had listed potatoes, tomatoes, onions and garlic, among other things, for trade.

Mr Sangha made another important admission: that trade of such low-value items like potatoes and onions, is just not economically viable because of extremely high handling and clearing costs involved at both sides of the international border.