- Public–private model targets trade facilitation and competitiveness.
- Customs/tariff taskforce placed at the heart of reforms.
- Muhammad Ali Tabba named chair of lead working group.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has established eight specialised working groups, comprising leading business figures, technical experts, and senior officials, to develop concrete policy recommendations across key economic sectors, The News reported.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in a directive issued Saturday that the groups were formed following a high-level meeting with business leaders on October 23.
Anchoring the public–private push is a Customs, Trade, Tariffs and Dumping Working Group, tasked with clearing bottlenecks that blunt Pakistan’s export competitiveness and hinder trade facilitation.
This group represents the crux of the government’s reform agenda, as customs and tariff policies have been widely recognised as the single most significant impediment to Pakistan’s ability to compete in global markets.
The group, chaired by prominent industrialist Muhammad Ali Tabba of Lucky Cement, brings together a formidable combination of private sector expertise and government authority.
The panel includes Musadaq Zulqarnain from Interloop Holdings, Ziad Bashir from Gul Ahmed Textile Mills, and international trade experts Dr Muhammad Saeed from the International Trade Centre and Dr Ijaz Nabi from the International Growth Centre. The inclusion of Dr Robina Athar, a former member of the National Tariff Commission, adds institutional memory to the deliberations.
The working group features three senior Federal Board of Revenue officials: Member Customs Operations Syed Shakeel Shah; Member Customs-Policy Ashhad Jawad, and Director General of Research and Analysis Imran Mohmand. Secretary of Commerce Jawad Paul will serve as convener.
