Research & Initiatives

The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka came into effect in July 2005 after being signed in...

Regional trading blocs have helped their respective member states to become competitive and contributed greatly to their economic development. Pakistan...

The China Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) was signed between the governments of Pakistan and China in November 2006. Phase...

The idea of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Thailand was floated in early 2013. This decision was...

In December 2013, the EU granted GSP+ status to Pakistan starting from January 1, 2014. Since Turkey has a Customs...

The EU was established to merge the European nations economically, politically, along with equal citizen rights, single currency and a...

The European Union (EU) granted GSP+ status to Pakistan in December 2013. Pakistan qualified for GSP+ by being a low...

Trade with the European Union (28) plays a significant role in Pakistan’s trade; Pakistan had a trade surplus of $2.14...

Normalization of relations between Pakistan and India doesn’t appear to be on the cards in the near term, but given geography, normalization is a matter of “when” and not “if”. The biggest beneficiary once this normalization in political relations takes place will be trade between the two countries.

The historic decision of the voters in the United Kingdom (UK) to quit the European Union – a process also known as Brexit – can potentially have a major negative impact on Pakistan’s exports.

Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) through Pakistan is frequently a bone of contention between the two countries. Afghanistan complains that Pakistan is a major obstacle to transit trade with frequent changes in rules.

Following the PBC’s previous studies on the Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement, there has been great discourse on how Phase II should be negotiated.

The 2015 Study had clearly shown that signing a FTA with Thailand was not in Pakistan’s interest; and the findings of this Study reinforce that conclusion in the light of updated data.

Pakistan and Turkey are not each other’s major trading partners, nevertheless, Pakistan’s trade with Turkey as a percentage of Pakistan’s global trade is higher than vice versa.

The Pakistan Business Council (PBC) notes the Ministry of Commerce’s ambition to enhance exports, as embodied in the recently issued Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF) 201518.