Islamabad (Web Desk): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered authorities to take practical steps to streamline trade procedures, prevent avoidable delays, bring down business costs and give a fresh push to the country’s exports.
He issued these directions while presiding over the first meeting of the Trade Facilitation Board in Islamabad on Thursday.
The prime minister said the government was determined to extend maximum possible support to the business community and encourage commercial and trading activities.
He emphasized that improving trade mechanisms and integrating Pakistan more effectively into regional and international supply chains was among the government’s major priorities.
PM Shehbaz said the Trade Facilitation Board was created with the core purpose of addressing obstacles in trade procedures and making them more efficient.
He instructed all relevant agencies working at major ports handling large volumes of cargo to make their services available to businesses at one place.
The premier also stressed the importance of conducting inspections jointly and developing coordinated profiles of consignments through the relevant departments.
PM Shehbaz directed the authorities to carry out a detailed assessment of all non-tariff measures and eliminate requirements that create unnecessary hurdles for traders.
He also ordered effective efforts to attract direct shipping services to Pakistani ports, noting that such connectivity would enable goods produced in the country to reach international customers more quickly and efficiently.
The premier further instructed officials to develop a National Trade Performance Index to assess crucial areas of trade performance, including the time cargo remains at ports, customs clearance, logistics, ship clearance duration, post-clearance audits and procedures completed before cargo arrival.
PM Shehbaz called for focused efforts to increase the involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises in international commerce.
He directed authorities to document the complete trade process followed by SMEs so that difficulties and obstacles encountered at various stages could be identified and addressed.
The premier also emphasized the need to improve the risk management mechanism for smoother trade operations. He directed that regulatory checks should increasingly be shifted from the pre-arrival phase to the post-release stage in order to speed up the clearance of cargo. He said comprehensive inspections should be limited to consignments classified as high-risk.
PM Shehbaz also instructed authorities to make greater use of artificial intelligence in risk assessment, saying modern technology could help improve the system while accelerating trade procedures.
The meeting received a briefing on the targets established under the Time-Release Automated System for ports across the country.
Officials told the meeting that the government has set a goal of completing 30 percent of clearance procedures before cargo arrives by the end of the ongoing financial year.
The share of consignments processed through the green channel is also expected to reach 65 percent.
The meeting was further informed that authorities aim to raise the number of Authorized Economic Operators to more than 50 by the conclusion of the current financial year.
PM Shehbaz approved the targets formulated under the Time-Release Automated System for all ports.
He also approved the establishment of a working group to examine non-tariff measures and instructed it to prepare and submit a roadmap within one month.
The roadmap will focus on removing unnecessary regulations and creating a more efficient and business-friendly trade environment.