Islamabad: The Standing Committee on Commerce convened at the Parliament House with a focus on strengthening Pakistan’s export sector and implementing agreed-upon policies efficiently. Chaired by Mr. Muhammad Jawed Hanif Khan, the committee recommended transforming stakeholder agreements into actionable strategies to address the country’s declining export figures.

According to National Assembly of Pakistan, the committee reviewed “the Trade Organizations (Third Amendment) Bill” moved by Mr. Muhammad Farooq Sattar, MNA, and, while in favor of the proposed amendments, referred it to the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Law and Justice for further legal assessment. The committee noted a rise in rice exports, from $321 million to $394 million, but emphasized the necessity of a comprehensive export strategy to leverage this growth across more sectors.

Concerns were raised regarding the overall export performance, with figures dropping to $30.8 billion from $32.1 billion the previous year. The committee questioned the adequacy of current trade promotion efforts and stressed the need for enhanced coordination among institutions. Discussions included the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan’s digital initiatives, sugar import policies, and the importance of focusing on high-value export products for policy intervention.

The meeting, attended by several MNAs and senior commerce officials, underscored the urgency of aligning policies with industrial competitiveness and value addition to support export-oriented industries.