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PM PUSHES TRADE REFORMS, VOWS TO MAKE PAKISTAN KEY PART OF GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS Friday, 11 September, 2026 | 28 Rabiul Awwal, 1448
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PM SHEHBAZ ORDERS SWEEPING MEASURES TO CUT TRADE DELAYS, BOOST EXPORTS
AI-BASED RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PROPOSED TO SPEED UP CARGO CLEARANCE
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NATIONAL TRADE PERFORMANCE INDEX PLANNED TO TRACK PORT, CUSTOMS EFFICIENCY g
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GOVT SETS AMBITIOUS TARGETS FOR PRE-ARRIVAL, GREEN CHANNEL CLEARANCES
Mian abrar
RIME MINISTER Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the government was taking comprehensive measures to make Pakistan an effective part of regional and global supply chains by facilitating trade, reducing business costs and removing unnecessary regulatory hurdles. Chairing the first meeting of the Trade Facilitation Board, the prime minister said facilitating business and promoting trade remained among the government’s top priorities, directing relevant institutions to take practical measures to eliminate delays in trade procedures and boost exports. He said the government was committed to providing maximum facilities to the business community and improving the overall trade environment. “The main objective of the Trade Facilitation Board is to remove obstacles in all trade-related procedures,” the prime minister said, stressing that relevant institutions operating at high-volume ports should provide services to traders under a one-window arrangement. He also called for greater use of joint inspections and joint profiling by different government institutions to avoid duplication and unnecessary delays. The prime minister directed authorities to conduct a comprehensive review of all non-tariff measures and eliminate regulations that unnecessarily hindered trade. He also ordered effective steps to attract direct shipping lines to Pakistani
ports, saying improved connectivity would enable products manufactured in Pakistan to reach international buyers more quickly and efficiently. Prime Minister Shehbaz directed the development of a National Trade Performance Index to measure key indicators, including cargo dwell time, customs clearance, logistics efficiency, ship clearance time, post-clearance audits and preclearance procedures. He said the index would help identify bottlenecks and improve the efficiency of Pakistan’s trade infrastructure. The prime minister also called for special measures to increase the participation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in international trade. He directed authorities to map the various stages of the trade journey of SMEs and identify the hurdles they face so that targeted measures could be introduced to address them. The prime minister stressed the need to make the risk management system
more effective to accelerate cargo clearance. He directed authorities to shift controls from the pre-arrival stage towards the post-release stage, allowing customs and other agencies to focus detailed inspections on high-risk consignments. “Use of artificial intelligence should be initiated to make risk management more effective and to speed up the trade process,” he said. The meeting was briefed on targets under the Time Release Automated System for ports. A target of achieving 30 per cent prearrival clearance by the end of the current financial year has been set, while the share of cargo processed through the Green Channel is to be increased to 65pc. The government also aims to increase the number of Authorized Economic Operators to more than 50 during the current financial year. The prime minister approved the targets and also approved the formation of a working group to review non-tariff measures.
ISLAMABAD
ISLAMABAD
Staff CorreSpondent
The Foreign Office on Thursday said the Makkah Defence Alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye was primarily defensive in nature and aimed at strengthening regional security through deterrence, ruling out any immediate expansion of the three-member pact. Speaking at the weekly press briefing, FO spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said the alliance was still in its formative stage and the three countries were focused on consolidating their cooperation before considering the inclusion of other states. “The Makkah agreement is primarily a defensive alliance to ensure regional security primarily through deterrence,” he said. Asked about reports regarding the possible expansion of the alliance, the spokesperson said it was “not on the cards” at present. “Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye must first further consolidate their organisation and cooperation,” he said, adding that the agreement could subsequently be opened to countries sharing similar “stances and perspectives”. He said consultations among the three member states were continuing at various levels under the framework of the agreement. Any decision regarding expansion, he added, would be taken at a later stage. “At this stage, there are no discussions regarding the expansion of the Makkah agreement,” Khan said. The spokesperson said the timing of future meetings had not yet been finalised, although details would be shared as consultations progressed. He added that significant work remained to finalise the alliance’s organisational structure, mechanisms and procedures. The defence pact, signed on August 7, seeks to strengthen collective deterrence and provides for an attack against one signatory to be treated as an attack against all three members. The alliance held its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on August 31, where the three countries agreed to establish a secretariat in Saudi Arabia headed by a secretary general. Pakistan will initially provide the secretary general for a three-year term. The FO spokesperson also strongly condemned what he described as the “systematic” and “state-sanctioned” demolition of Muslim places of worship in India. Responding to a question about Pakistan’s response to the demolition of a mosque in Saharanpur on September 5, Khan said Islamabad was deeply concerned over what he termed the continued destruction of Islamic holy sites in India under various pretexts.
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He directed the group to submit within one month a roadmap for eliminating unnecessary regulations and further facilitating trade. Federal ministers Rana Tanveer Hussain, Azam Nazir Tarar and Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, Adviser to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar Khan, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani and members of the Trade Facilitation Board attended the meeting. Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated the government’s commitment to completely eradicate polio from Pakistan during a meeting with a delegation from the Gates Foundation. The delegation, comprising Gates Foundation representatives Kalpana Kochhar and Anita Zaidi, called on the prime minister and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between Pakistan and the foundation. The prime minister appreciated the Gates Foundation’s continued support for Pakistan, particularly in the areas of polio eradication, health, nutrition, financial inclusion and the welfare of vulnerable sections of society. He said the National Polio Eradication Programme had the government’s highest-level patronage and reiterated the administration’s resolve to eliminate the crippling disease. Prime Minister Shehbaz said digital payments, food security, maternal and newborn health, poverty alleviation and climate change were among the key priorities of the government’s broader governance reform agenda.
IHC CJ admonishes KP AG over PTI protest 'support' for judiciary Staff report
Makkah Defence Alliance not being expanded for now: FO
Rs 20.00 | Vol XVII No 167 | 8 Pages | Lahore Edition
Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar on Thursday admonished Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advocate General Shah Faisal Utmankhel after he described the PTI’s planned September 27 protest as an effort to support the judiciary. The PTI has announced a nationwide protest on Sept 27, seeking the release of party founder Imran Khan and calling for the supremacy of the Constitution. The proposed protest is being challenged before the IHC by citizen Waqas Ahmed, who has argued that the demonstration could disrupt routine life, traffic and business activities in the federal capital. CJ Dogar had
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IAEA reports Iran to UN Security Council over nuclear obligations ISLAMABAD
Staff report
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35member Board of Governors has voted to report Iran to the United Nations Security Council for breaching its non-proliferation obligations, marking the first such referral in 20 years. The resolution follows an earlier finding from June 2025 that Iran was in noncompliance with its safeguards obligations. A separate resolution was required to formally refer the matter to the Security Council. Diplomats said the latest resolution, proposed by the United States, Britain, France and Germany, passed with 23 votes in favour, three against and eight abstentions. Russia, China and Niger voted against the measure. The referral represents a further escalation in the diplomatic standoff between Tehran and Western powers, although significant action by the Security Council appears unlikely because Russia and China are permanent members with veto powers. Iran had warned before the vote that it could retaliate if the resolution was adopted. Its mission to the IAEA later criticised the decision as politically motivated and blamed the current dispute on US and Israeli military action against Iranian nuclear facilities. The original non-compliance finding relates to Iran’s failure to satisfactorily explain uranium traces discovered at undeclared sites that had been under investigation by the agency for years. A separate dispute has since emerged over access to nuclear facilities damaged in US and Israeli strikes. Iran has not allowed IAEA inspectors to return to several bombed sites, including three uranium enrichment facilities that were destroyed or heavily damaged. Tehran has also not fully accounted for its stockpile of enriched uranium, some of which had been enriched to 60% purity before the attacks. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has warned that the agency’s inability to verify the status of the facilities and nuclear material has become a serious proliferation concern. Before the strikes, the IAEA estimated that Iran possessed 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to as much as 60%.
Parliament set to debate creation of new provinces next month: Tariq Fazal ISLAMABAD
Staff report
earlier constituted a larger bench to hear the petition, citing the sensitive nature of the matter. When the KP AG appeared before the court on Thursday, he said the PTI’s planned long march was also being organised in support of the judiciary. “Thank you very much for wanting to strengthen the judiciary,” the chief justice remarked sarcastically before asking, “Is the judiciary so weak that you wish to strengthen it?” Justice Dogar observed that the judiciary was not so weak that it needed the backing of a political party. At the outset, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan told the court that government machinery could not be used for political protests.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Thursday said the debate over the creation of new provinces would formally be taken up by the National Assembly and Senate in their October sessions, stressing that Parliament was the appropriate forum for deliberating the politically sensitive issue. Talking to journalists, the minister said the growing debate over new provinces had moved beyond political circles and was being discussed by people from different sections of society, making it necessary to bring the matter to Parliament. “If this debate about new provinces is happening in the streets and in every media house, and is being discussed by scholars and traders and chambers of commerce, then the proper forum for this discussion is Parliament,” he said. Mr Chaudhry said debate on the establishment of new provinces would begin once the National Assembly and Senate convened in October. He, however, categorically rejected any impression that Islamabad was being considered for provincial status.
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