Islamabad, April 30:

India has not yet formally intimated the date for signing a revised shipping protocol that would allow both countries to lift third country cargo from each others ports, officials said.

Though the Pakistan cabinet has given its consent, the protocol could not be signed as India was taking too long in giving its nod, a ministry of ports and shipping official said. The protocol was earlier scheduled to be signed in March, but was delayed for a month.

During technical level talks a few months back, the authorities had mutually agreed to revise the shipping protocol aimed at improving the maritime relations between the nuclear neighbours.

A shipping protocol was signed some 30 years ago between the two countries only for bilateral shipping. But later on it was felt that there is need to amend the protocol enabling respective shipping companies to lift third country cargo from their respective ports.

When contacted, the official conceded that the agreement was scheduled to be signed this month, but a response from New Delhi was still awaited. “The signing date of the protocol has still to be finalised because we are waiting the Indian response,” he said. He said that the Indian government had shown its willingness to incorporate amendments to the protocol.