New Delhi, March 25 -- India is advancing negotiations on a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the US-what would typically be called a free trade agreement (FTA)-but a critical gap in Washington's trade framework threatens to complicate the deal.

Unlike past trade agreements, any pact India finalizes could face prolonged scrutiny and potential amendments by US lawmakers, as the country currently lacks Fast Track Trade Authority (FTTA)-a mechanism that allows the US president to negotiate trade deals and present them for a simple up-or-down vote in Congress. Without it, any agreement is vulnerable to political wrangling, delays, or even rejection.

The concerns were outlined in a Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) report released T...