The government and rice exporters on Monday differed over who would spearhead Pakistan's legal battle against Indian attempt of registering 'Super Basmati' variety under Geographical Indication (GI).
While the government said it was ready to back the exporters and millers to fight the case in Indian courts, the exporters, millers argued that the proposal was not feasible.
"We (the government) are ready to support them (rice exporters and millers) if they want litigation in Indian courts," the newly appointed Chairman of Intellectual Property Organisation, Pakistan (IPO-Pak) Wasim Haqqi told journalists here.
However, the way Haqqi initially tried to deflect questions it appeared that the government was either least bothered about the matter or it did not want any more conflict with India.
Pakistan and India are already involved in an international arbitration to settle a water reservoir which India is constructing in occupied Kashmir.
The IPO-Pak chairman's statement irked rice exporters who blamed the government of throwing the issue into cold storage.
"Whatever Haqqi said is absolutely hypothetical. How can we approach courts in another country? To fight the case, diplomatic channels must be utilised and it is the prerogative of the government exclusively," H A Majid, chairman of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan, said.
Majid said that it was surprising why the government was not carrying out necessary indigenous legislation for registration of the variety.
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