PM Shehbaz pushes major trade facilitation drive

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that promoting trade and facilitating business activities are among the

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that promoting trade and facilitating business activities are among the government’s top priorities, stressing the need to remove unnecessary hurdles and delays from the country’s trade processes.

The prime minister made these remarks while chairing the first meeting of the Trade Facilitation Board in Islamabad. Addressing the meeting, he called for effective measures to eliminate unnecessary delays in trade procedures and promote Pakistan’s exports.

Shehbaz Sharif said the fundamental objective of the Trade Facilitation Board was to remove obstacles from all procedures related to trade and create a more efficient and business-friendly system.

He directed relevant institutions to provide all necessary services to the business community at a single location at high-volume ports. He also called for the promotion of joint inspection and joint profiling mechanisms involving different government departments to reduce duplication and speed up the clearance process.

The meeting was informed that a target had been set to achieve 30 per cent pre-arrival clearance by the end of the current fiscal year. The government has also set a target of increasing the share of the Green Channel to 65 per cent during the same period.

According to the briefing, the number of authorised economic operators is also targeted to exceed 50 by the end of the current fiscal year. The measures are aimed at improving the efficiency of customs and other trade-related procedures and reducing delays for businesses.

The prime minister directed authorities to conduct a comprehensive audit of all non-tariff measures and identify unnecessary restrictions that are creating hurdles for trade. He also instructed the relevant authorities to take effective steps to attract direct shipping lines to Pakistani ports.

According to an official statement, Shehbaz Sharif also directed the preparation of a National Trade Performance Index to assess and improve the country’s trade facilitation performance.

He further stressed that detailed inspections should only be carried out for high-risk cargo, while low-risk consignments should be cleared through simplified procedures. The approach, he said, would help reduce delays while maintaining effective controls.

The prime minister also approved the targets set for the Time Release Automated System for all ports. The system is intended to measure and improve the time required to release imported and exported consignments.

The meeting also approved the formation of a working group to review non-tariff measures affecting trade. The prime minister directed the group to identify unnecessary regulations and recommend measures to make trade procedures easier.

Shehbaz Sharif instructed the working group to prepare and submit a roadmap within one month for eliminating unnecessary rules and creating greater ease of doing business.