Liberalization of imports harms India?

Ashok Sharma in the Indian newspaper Financial Express argues that unilateral and unconditional lowering of tariff for sugar imports harm India

“... the institution of TRQ for sugar import is unilateral and unconditional. We have not in exchange negotiated for raising our low bound tariff rate of 45% on soyabean oil. The policy of unilateral and unconditional liberalisation of imports will weaken India’s negotiating position at WTO. It will endanger domestic production as had been the case with vegetable oil and oilseeds.”

If this were true, then why don’t India raise tariff to 1000% or close the economy completely from international trade then? This should be able to gain India formidable negotiating position at WTO, according to the theory of Mr. Sharma.

Sometimes, busting a myth requires just a little bit of counterfactual thought experiment.