Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday welcomed the reduction of tariffs on Indian goods by the United States, saying the move is expected to significantly benefit many exporters from the region and across the country.
Omar told reporters, “With the reduction of tariffs our exports will benefit. This is a good step because many of our exporters were facing a lot of difficulties. Some of them were apprehensive whether they would be in a position to continue their businesses. Now that the tariffs have been reduced, it is hoped that their business will flourish again”.
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He said the “hiked tariffs were very heavy for us. We know very well why the tariff was imposed. The US President was not happy that we were buying oil from Russia”.
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He linked the reduction of the US tariffs to the announcement of US President Donald Trump that India has stopped buying oil from Russia. However, the government of India has so far not issued a formal statement on the issue, he said.
Omar said, “If we have stopped buying oil from Russia where will we now buy oil from? Will buying oil from the US increase the price of petrol and diesel? We will have to wait and watch”.
Commenting on Pakistan’s announcement of not playing a cricket match with India, Omar said that the media should not present the India-Pakistan matches as a war. “When there is a match between India and Pakistan, you present it as a war. You never cover it like a normal sport. When we play against other countries, you don’t take notice of it. When we play against Pakistan, it is presented in a big way”.
“I have always said that when we combine sports and politics, this is what happens. We have stopped differentiating between sports and politics”, he added.
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