ISLAMABAD: Secretary Commerce of the United States of America Wilbur Ross avoided making any firm commitment to Pakistan during his visit to Islamabad and his visit seemed rather a balancing act in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s visit to India, a local newspaper reported.
The Pakistani side tabled three demands before the US visiting trade delegation including initiation of Scoping Study for Free Trade Agreement (FTA) but the US side avoided making any commitment and its reply was they that “they would look into it”.
The visiting US delegation also did not give any positive response to the Pakistani side’s demand of moving towards the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement(TIFA). The same was US delegation’s response on expanding the GSP Plus list for providing concession on export items.
On the other hand, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has said the arrival of the delegation from the commerce sector is good news for Pakistan and will have positive consequences for the country.
The adviser welcomed the secretary commerce and said Pakistan and United States had maintained a durable relationship over the years and there was a need to build it further.
He said, “This is at a time when the government is looking forward to a major boost in exports after offering concessions to the export-oriented sector of Pakistan.”
He said Pakistan is trying to carve out a new progressive image in the comity of nations and added, “We have tried to follow the FATF action plan to a significant level, opened our markets to the foreign investors by providing ease of doing business and we are trying to build our image as a tourism-friendly and investment-opportunity country in the region.”
