ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed the authorities concerned to formulate the trade policies with a core objective of facilitating the business sector, calling for urgent steps to enhance the competitiveness of Pakistan’s exports.
The prime minister, chairing a meeting on the trade sector, called for measures to promote exports of non-traditional goods and instructed for immediate payment of the certified duty drawback of the exporters.
Underlining the significance of the private sector, he instructed to ensure consultation with them during the policy-making and implement the policy to develop the auto sector. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructed the relevant ministry to devise a comprehensive strategy to scrutinize the performance of trade and investment officers posted in missions abroad, by rewarding the good performers and removing the incompetent ones.
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The PM told the meeting that he would personally carry out the fortnightly review of the export sectors. In the meeting, the prime minister was informed that the discussion on the Free Trade Agreement between Pakistan and the Gulf countries was in the final stage and transit trade deals with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan had already been materialized.
The meeting was also apprised of the strict monitoring of Afghan Transit Trade, double-digit premium growth of public sector insurance companies, finalizing Gem Export Framework, and in principle approval by Islamabad and Moscow to operationalize the barter trade.
