Pakistan moved to tighten its trade-defence framework on Wednesday as a government committee reviewed proposals to overhaul the National Tariff Commission, which officials say lacks the autonomy and capacity needed for fast and credible investigations.
The fifth meeting of the Prime Minister’s Committee on the Modernisation of the NTC, chaired by Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Malik, brought together SAPM on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, NTC members and senior commerce ministry officials.
Officials began the briefing by outlining the Commission’s core mandate, including the enforcement of WTO mandated trade-remedy laws, dispute settlement, tariff rationalisation and wider trade policy formulation. They said weak financial and administrative independence often delays the imposition of countervailing duties and slows the launch of safeguard actions intended to protect domestic industry from injurious imports.
The committee then assessed proposals to expand technical capacity through specialised training and targeted human resource development. Dr Malik told the meeting that a modern, rules based tariff regime was vital for economic stability and for giving local manufacturers adequate protection from unfair trade practices.
Participants agreed that addressing the identified structural bottlenecks was necessary to strengthen trade-remedy enforcement and ensure Pakistan’s tariff regime remains aligned with international commitments.
