Islamabad, London commit to expanding trade beyond textile

Islamabad: Pakistan and the United Kingdom have agreed to intensify bilateral trade engagement, strengthen business-to-business cooperation and explore upgrading the existing Trade Dialogue into a more structured economic and trade framework.

In a meeting between Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and British High Commissioner Jane Marriott at the Ministry of Commerce, Jam Kamal Khan said Pakistan is advancing tariff rationalisation, digitization and regulatory reforms to improve competitiveness and facilitate businesses.

He said predictable tariffs, better access to finance and affordable industrial inputs would help SMEs, e-commerce ventures and export-oriented enterprises expand into new markets. He highlighted Africa and Central Asia as promising destinations for Pakistani exports and called for greater cooperation in standards, certification, traceability, environmental compliance and value addition.

Jane Marriott appreciated Pakistan’s economic reforms and said the UK was examining the possibility of transforming the Trade Dialogue into a stronger institutional mechanism, with clearly defined sectors, working groups and implementation timelines.

The Secretary Commerce Jawad Paul said two Pakistan–UK working groups were already operational, while additional groups had been proposed to broaden cooperation.