ISLAMABAD: Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh on Saturday asserted that Pakistan was making every effort to secure flexibility in the United States’ new tariff policy to strengthen bilateral trade following what he described as a “positive” meeting with the US Assistant Trade Representative.
“We hope that the matter can be resolved through dialogue,” the envoy said while speaking to media during the Spring Convention hosted by Pakistani-American doctors in Oklahoma.
US President Donald Trump imposed a staggering 29% tariff on imports from Pakistan.
The US remains Pakistan’s top export destination, and according to the State Bank of Pakistan, total exports to the US during the fiscal year 2023-24 amounted to $5.44 billion.
This unprecedented levy, part of the most aggressive US trade policy in almost a century, has rattled global markets and put emerging economies on edge.
For Pakistan, whose textile industry heavily relies on exports to the US, this tariff is more than just a financial setback it’s a direct hit to its economic backbone.
The country of over 240 million people now faces a 29% tariff (set to begin on April 9) on its exports to the US, significantly higher than the 10% baseline, which came into effect on April 5 (today).
Speaking to media today, the ambassador said that the new tariff system was based on a formal structure that applies uniformly to all countries.
“However, since each country’s exports, products, and trade volumes vary, the effects of this policy also differ accordingly. The tariffs have been applied to both Pakistan and India, but at different rates,” he noted.
He clarified that the US is an enormous market so large that no single country, or even a few combined, can fulfill its demands. “Various countries, particularly those in South Asia such as Pakistan and India, supply products to help meet this demand.”
He emphasized that this policy falls under the discretion of the US government, especially President Trump, who aims to promote local industries and create more employment.
