Islamabad: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Commerce convened at the Parliament House to receive briefings from the Ministry of Commerce and its associated departments. During the meeting, chaired by Mr. Muhammad Jawed Hanif Khan, MNA, the committee evaluated the implementation status of previous recommendations and expressed satisfaction with the progress.

According to National Assembly of Pakistan, the Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce highlighted the significance of sectoral consultations for enhancing competitiveness and export development. The consultations, chaired by the Minister for Commerce, aim to devise sector-specific strategies. The committee recommended preparing a proposal for a Sectoral Export Roadmap to be presented at the next meeting.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) provided a comprehensive presentation on TDAP’s operations and achievements. The committee requested that the presentation be revised to incorporate observations from committee members and presented again at a future meeting. Additionally, the Chairman of the Trade Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) briefed the committee on TCP’s performance and sought support for recovering amounts owed by various federal and provincial government entities. The committee endorsed the chairman’s proposal.

A report from a previously constituted sub-committee, led by Mr. Muhammad Atif Khan, MNA, was presented and adopted by the committee. A new sub-committee, headed by Mr. Khurshid Ahmed Junejo, MNA, with members including Mr. Asad Alam Niazi, Mr. Usama Ahmed Mela, and Mr. Muhammad Mobeen Arif, MNAs, was established to explore opportunities for utilizing the country’s gemstone resources to generate revenue.

The meeting was attended by several members of the National Assembly and senior officers from the Ministry of Commerce, TDAP, TCP, National Insurance Corporation Limited (NICL), and the National Export Development Board (NEDB).