Trade Facilitation Board approved to streamline cross-border trade

September 03, 2026 (MLN): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has approved the establishment of a Trade Facilitation Board, which he will personally chair, tasked with improving the country's entire trade supply chain and addressing non-tariff issues linked to cross-border trade.

The Prime Minister gave the approval while chairing a meeting on trade facilitation in Islamabad on Thursday.

The proposed board will formulate a roadmap for the promotion of trade, develop a Trade Facilitation Index and devise a strategy for monitoring progress on trade-related reforms, said a press release issued.

The Prime Minister directed that work to improve the operational capacity of the country's ports be carried out on an emergency basis, and that various working groups be constituted for this purpose.

These groups will focus on enhancing port capacity, improving coordination among relevant departments, ensuring compliance with the regulatory framework, enabling pre-arrival clearance, and increasing the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in international trade.

He further directed that importers and exporters be extended maximum facilities at ports, and that procedures related to the transportation and clearance of goods, along with other related matters, be simplified.

The meeting was informed that as part of ongoing reforms, port charges have been reduced, resulting in a significant improvement in the utilization of ports.

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