 "India, Pakistan join hands amid frozen ties to rescue 12 sailors and protect farmers in WTO talks")
India and Pakistan share strained ties but two threads have brought them closer in recent days. Both countries have come together to address farmers’ issues and conduct a joint operation to save sailors.
New Delhi and Islamabad raised concerns over attempts to appoint facilitators to oversee agriculture negotiations at the World Trade Organisation. Earlier this week, in a meeting of the committee, Pakistan shared India’s view that a facilitator appointed by the chair would misguide the process.
A Geneva-based official said, “The three members (India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) expressed concerns about the facilitator-led process, citing a lack of clear consensus among members and insisted that members adhere to formal negotiation channels.”
In a communication to the WTO last month, India and Pakistan, along with Sri Lanka, suggested that negotiations on mandated agricultural issues—such as permanent stockholding, the special safeguard mechanism, and cotton—should be conducted within the Committee on Agriculture.
India-Pak hold joint op
Earlier this week, India and Pakistan conducted a joint rescue operation to save 12 crew members of a merchant vessel that capsized in the North Arabian Sea.
A statement by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said that MSV Al Piranpir sank off India’s waters, a location that fell within Pakistan’s search and rescue region.
Together with the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), ICG conducted an operation to rescue the Indian crew members.
“The mechanized sailing vessel, which had departed from Porbandar and was enroute to Bandar Abbas Port in Iran, reportedly sank in the morning hours of December 4 due to rough seas and flooding,” the statement added.
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