Prime Minister Approves Establishment of Trade Facilitation Board
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has approved major initiatives aimed at facilitating trade and enhancing the operational capacity of the country’s ports.
Chairing a high-level meeting on trade facilitation in Islamabad, the Prime Minister approved the establishment of the Trade Facilitation Board, which he will personally chair.
During the briefing, it was highlighted that the proposed Trade Facilitation Board will work to improve the entire trade supply chain and make decisive interventions on all non-tariff matters related to cross-border trade.
Furthermore, the board will formulate a comprehensive roadmap for trade promotion, establish a Trade Facilitation Index, and design monitoring strategies to ensure effective implementation.
The Prime Minister issued directives to work on an emergency basis to improve the operational capacity of national ports, ordering the formation of various working groups for this purpose.
These working groups will focus on:
- Enhancing port capacity and inter-departmental coordination
- Ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks
- Promoting pre-arrival clearance mechanisms
- Facilitating the integration of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into international trade
The Prime Minister emphasized streamlining cargo movement, clearance processes, and related procedures at ports to provide maximum facilitation to importers and exporters.
Briefing on Ongoing Port Reforms
The meeting was briefed that under ongoing reforms, port charges have been reduced, resulting in a noticeable surge in port utilization. Officials added that the adoption of pre-arrival goods declaration filing is also witnessing steady growth.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain, Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, Prime Minister’s Advisor on Industry Haroon Akhtar, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, and other senior government officials.