ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has approved the establishment of a Trade Facilitation Board aimed at removing hurdles in cross-border trade and improving the country’s overall trade supply chain.
The decision was taken during a meeting on trade facilitation chaired by the prime minister in Islamabad.
Prime Minister Shehbaz will personally head the newly proposed board, which will be tasked with addressing non-tariff barriers and taking policy decisions to make international trade more efficient.
The board will also prepare a comprehensive roadmap for expanding trade, introduce a Trade Facilitation Index and establish a mechanism to regularly monitor progress on reform initiatives.
Focus on port efficiency
The prime minister directed authorities to take emergency measures to strengthen the operational capacity of Pakistan’s ports.
He ordered the formation of several working groups to accelerate reforms and improve coordination among departments involved in trade and port operations.
The groups will examine ways to expand port capacity, strengthen inter-agency coordination, ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, introduce more efficient pre-arrival clearance procedures and increase the involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in international trade.
PM Shehbaz also called for maximum facilitation of importers and exporters at ports, directing authorities to simplify procedures related to the transportation, handling and clearance of goods.
Port reforms show results
The meeting was informed that several reforms had already been introduced as part of the government’s trade facilitation efforts.
Officials said port charges had been reduced under the ongoing reform process, resulting in a notable increase in the utilisation of the country’s ports.
The prime minister directed relevant authorities to maintain the pace of reforms and ensure that businesses receive faster and more efficient services throughout the import and export process.
