Pakistan may allow cotton import from India through land route as prospects of gradual restoration of bilateral trade ties have brightened after the new ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control, according to a media report on Sunday.

Citing sources in the Ministry of Commerce, The Express Tribune reported that Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood may take a decision on whether to import cotton and yarn from India next week.

They said that the issue of cotton shortfall has already been brought to the notice of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who also holds the portfolio of the commerce minister. Once a principled decision is taken, aformal order will be presented before the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet, the sources told the daily.

The sources said that in-house deliberations have already begun but the final decision would be taken only after seeking the approval of the prime minister.

“I cannot say yes or no at this stage and would be in a better position to respond on Monday,” Dawood told the daily, responding to a question on whether Pakistan was considering allowing cotton import from India.

The trade ties between both the countries can help minimise cost of production in Pakistan and ensure sustained food supplies, the daily said. 

India and Pakistan issued a joint statement on Thursday to strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire along the LoC and other sectors after the hotline discussions by their Director Generals of Military Operations.The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 2003, but it has hardly been followed in letter and spirit over the past several years.Relations between the two neighbours have nose-dived after a series

of terror attacks in India perpetrated by terror groups based in Pakistan.