Sistema comercial do paquistão

Sistema comercial do Paquistão
A economia paquistanesa cresceu de forma constante ao longo das últimas décadas e, apesar da restrição de uma infra-estrutura relativamente fraca, o país tomou medidas substanciais para abrir sua economia ao mundo exterior.
8 de fevereiro de 1995.
& quot; Espera-se que a liberalização das importações aumente a concorrência entre as importações e a produção doméstica e contribua para uma alocação de recursos mais eficiente e para o desenvolvimento de um setor de exportação mais eficiente. De volta ao topo.
A economia paquistanesa cresceu de forma constante ao longo das últimas décadas e, apesar da restrição de uma infra-estrutura relativamente fraca, o país tomou medidas substanciais para abrir sua economia ao mundo exterior. Os níveis tarifários e as medidas de proteção não-tarifária foram reduzidos de forma significativa, assim como a intervenção do Estado no comércio, de acordo com um relatório da Secretaria da OMC sobre as políticas e práticas comerciais do Paquistão.
O programa de política comercial de médio prazo do Paquistão inclui uma maior liberalização do sistema de comércio e câmbio e, durante o período de 1994-1997, as taxas arancelarias e outros impostos sobre o comércio internacional devem ser substancialmente reduzidos. "Espera-se que a liberalização das importações aumente a concorrência entre as importações e a produção doméstica e contribua para uma alocação de recursos mais eficiente e o desenvolvimento de um setor de exportação mais eficiente". diz o relatório.
Apesar das recentes reduções tarifárias, o Paquistão ainda é uma economia de alta tarifa. No momento, diz o relatório, "a média simples das taxas do direito estatutário é de 50%, com a tarifa aritmética mais alta de 70%. A escalação tarifária é substancial em áreas como alimentos, têxteis, couro, papel e petróleo. O Paquistão participou ativamente das negociações da Rodada Uruguai como um país em desenvolvimento com um interesse muito substancial no setor de têxteis e vestuário. Embora o país tenha apenas um número muito pequeno de ligações tarifárias antes da Rodada Uruguai, o Paquistão deve agora vincular cerca de 33 por cento das suas linhas tarifárias e 81 por cento das suas tarifas para produtos agrícolas. A maioria dos produtos agrícolas terá taxas máximas de 100 por cento. No setor industrial, o Paquistão irá vincular 25 por cento de suas tarifas, a maioria a taxas máximas de 40 a 50 por cento. No final da implementação do programa de reforma tarifária previsto para 1997, espera-se que a estrutura tarifária melhore não só porque os impostos ainda mais elevados no comércio internacional serão reduzidos, mas também por uma maior simplificação da estrutura tarifária através da eliminação de mais isenções tarifárias.
Embora o Paquistão tenha feito progressos na eliminação ou redução de barreiras não tarifárias ao comércio, tais como requisitos de licenças de importação, outras medidas não-tarifárias continuam a ser aplicadas a produtos cuja importação é proibida por motivos religiosos, de saúde, segurança ou outros motivos.
O escopo da negociação estadual foi reduzido substancialmente. O relatório diz que atualmente, a Trading Corporation do Paquistão não parece ter privilégios comerciais exclusivos ou especiais, mas que a Rice Market Corporation estatal e a Cotton Export Corporation "ainda gozam de vantagens herdadas em relação aos seus concorrentes privados, apesar da fato de que eles não gozam de direitos exclusivos. & quot; As exportações de algodão bruto e arroz estão sujeitas a impostos de exportação, seja por razões de receita ou por desincentivar a exportação de matérias-primas. O alcance de tais impostos, no entanto, foi reduzido nos últimos anos.
Em conclusão, o relatório diz que a economia do Paquistão é vulnerável às barreiras do comércio externo e que o setor de têxteis e vestuário, sua principal exportação, tem sido sujeito a um regime comercial restritivo - na forma do Arranjo Multi-Fibra - por décadas. "O Paquistão pagou um preço elevado em termos de perdas de exportação para esta derrogação da disciplina do GATT. Por conseguinte, é muito importante que os parceiros comerciais do Paquistão assumam as suas responsabilidades " e implementar os resultados da Rodada Uruguai. O relatório diz que ao estabelecer um ambiente comercial favorável, o Paquistão estará ainda mais motivado para continuar a sua reforma comercial e a liberalização geral.
Notas aos Editores.
1. O relatório da Secretaria da OMC, juntamente com um relatório preparado pelo Governo do Paquistão, serão discutidos pelo Órgão de Revisão da Política Comercial da OMC (TPRB) em 15 e 16 de fevereiro de 1995. A revisão do Paquistão é transferida do programa de comércio de 1994 revisões de políticas. A revisão será uma reunião conjunta da TPRB e do Conselho GATT de 1947. Esta é a primeira revisão do Paquistão desde o lançamento das revisões da política comercial em dezembro de 1989.
2. O Órgão de Revisão das Políticas Comerciais da OMC conduz uma avaliação coletiva de toda a gama de políticas e práticas comerciais de cada membro da OMC em intervalos periódicos periódicos e monitora tendências e desenvolvimentos importantes que podem ter um impacto no sistema de comércio global.
3. Os dois relatórios, juntamente com um registro da discussão do TPRB e do resumo do Presidente, serão publicados no devido tempo como a revisão completa da política comercial do Paquistão e estarão disponíveis no Secretariado da OMC, Centre William, Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genebra 21.
4. Os relatórios abrangem os desenvolvimentos em todos os aspectos das políticas comerciais do Paquistão, incluindo as leis e regulamentos nacionais, o quadro institucional, os desenvolvimentos relacionados ao comércio no âmbito monetário e financeiro, as práticas comerciais por medida e as políticas comerciais por setor. São anexadas as observações resumidas do relatório da Secretaria. Os relatórios completos estarão disponíveis para os jornalistas da Secretaria da OMC, mediante solicitação.
5. Desde dezembro de 1989, foram concluídos os seguintes relatórios: Argentina (1992), Austrália (1989 e 1994), Áustria (1992), Bangladesh (1992), Bolívia (1993), Brasil (1992), Camarões (1995) , Canadá (1990, 1992 e 1994), Chile (1991), Colômbia (1990), Egito (1992), Comunidades Europeias (1991 e 1993), Finlândia (1992), Gana (1992), Hong Kong (1990). 1994), Hungria (1991), Islândia (1994), Índia (1993), Indonésia (1991 e 1994), Japão (1990 e 1992), Quénia (1993), Coréia, Rep. de (1992), Macau (1994), Malásia (1993), México (1993), Marrocos (1989), Nova Zelândia (1990), Nigéria (1991), Noruega (1991), Peru (1994), Filipinas (1993), Polônia (1993) , Romania (1992), Senegal (1994), Singapura (1992), África do Sul (1993), Suécia (1990 e 1994), Suiça (1991), Tailândia (1991), Tunísia (1994), Turquia (1994), Estados Unidos (1989, 1992 e 1994), Uruguai (1992) e Zimbabwe (1994).
ORGANISMO DE REVISÃO POLÍTICA COMERCIAL: PAQUISTÃO.
Relatório da Secretaria & # 150; Observações resumidas.
A economia do Paquistão cresceu de forma constante nas últimas décadas, apesar da restrição de uma infra-estrutura relativamente fraca. No entanto, na década de 1980, uma série de fraquezas estruturais prejudicou a sustentabilidade do crescimento e aumentou a vulnerabilidade do Paquistão aos choques externos. Para abordar essas restrições e alcançar um crescimento estável e sustentado com estabilidade financeira, o Paquistão iniciou um abrangente programa de reforma macroeconômica e estrutural, incluindo medidas para liberalizar a atividade doméstica e o sistema de pagamentos.
Desde a introdução deste programa, o Paquistão fez passos substanciais para uma maior dependência das forças do mercado e abriu sua economia para o mundo exterior. Os níveis de proteção tarifária e não tarifária e de intervenção estadual no comércio foram reduzidos significativamente. Esta nova direção está em forte contraste com as políticas econômicas anteriores do Paquistão, que se caracterizaram pela substituição de importações e pela ampla intervenção do Estado na vida econômica.
O início do processo de reforma foi acompanhado pelo aumento dos desequilíbrios domésticos e externos. O déficit fiscal aumentou e a liquidez doméstica se expandiu, contribuindo para uma maior inflação. A crise do meio Oriente de 1990-91 colocou pressão adicional sobre a posição da conta corrente externa do Paquistão. Em 1992/93, o Paquistão foi afetado por enchentes generalizadas e doenças das plantas. A taxa de crescimento do PIB diminuiu para 2,3%, as exportações estagnaram, o déficit da conta corrente aumentou para 7,1% do PIB e as reservas cambiais brutas oficiais diminuíram para um nível críticamente baixo em meados de 1993. Em 1993/94, em resposta à continuação dos desequilíbrios internos e externos, o Paquistão intensificou o seu ajuste a médio prazo (1993 / 94-1996 / 97) e as reformas estruturais. Estes visam manter o crescimento económico anual em cerca de 7,0 por cento durante o período 1993/94 a 1996/97; reduzindo a inflação para 6% no final do período; aumentando as reservas oficiais para mais de três meses de importações; e reduzindo o peso da dívida interna e externa.
Paquistão no comércio mundial.
Em grande parte como conseqüência da política comercial voltada para o exterior que o Paquistão seguiu até recentemente, a participação do país no comércio mundial é muito pequena (0,2 por cento em 1992). A participação das exportações de mercadorias no PIB foi de 13% em 1992/93, enquanto a das importações de mercadorias foi de 19%. As taxas de comércio intra-indústria (IIT) calculadas para o período 1990-92 indicam um nível baixo e mesmo decrescente do IIT, refletindo mais uma vez a natureza isolada e protegida da economia paquistanesa.
Uma característica particular das exportações do Paquistão é a forte dependência de produtos pertencentes ao grupo do algodão. Fabricados a partir de algodão e algodão representam cerca de 60 por cento das exportações de mercadorias. Outras exportações significativas incluem produtos de couro, arroz, peixe e tapetes. A estrutura de exportação altamente concentrada tornou o comércio do país vulnerável a distorções e restrições externas e, em particular, às restrições no âmbito do MFA. Máquinas, produtos químicos, petróleo e produtos petrolíferos, equipamentos de transporte e óleos comestíveis são os principais itens de importação; Desde 1980, a parcela de máquinas, produtos automotivos, aparelhos de telecomunicações e máquinas de escritório aumentou rapidamente.
O maior parceiro comercial do Paquistão, tanto nas exportações como nas importações, é a União Européia, com uma participação de cerca de 30 por cento, seguido pelos Estados Unidos, Japão e Hong Kong. As ações da América do Norte e Ásia nas exportações aumentaram nos últimos anos, enquanto as da Europa Oriental, as repúblicas da antiga União Soviética e do Oriente Médio declinaram. Nos últimos anos, as ações das importações da Ásia e do Oriente Médio aumentaram, enquanto as da América do Norte caíram.
A República Islâmica do Paquistão tem uma estrutura federal composta por quatro províncias, a capital federal e as "áreas tribais" sob administração federal. O Paquistão é uma democracia parlamentar sob a Constituição de 1973. O Presidente, que deve ser muçulmano, é o chefe de Estado e representa a unidade da República; ele ou ela é eleito em uma sessão conjunta do Legislativo Federal por um período de cinco anos.
O Legislativo Federal consiste em uma casa alta e alta. A câmara baixa, a Assembléia Nacional, contém 307 membros eleitos diretamente mais dez membros que representam minorias; O prazo de eleição é de cinco anos. A Câmara Alta, o Senado, tem 87 membros que servem por seis anos. As questões da Lista Legislativa Federal estão sob a autoridade exclusiva da legislatura federal. No que diz respeito aos assuntos da Lista Legislativa Concorrente, tanto a Legislatura Federal quanto as assembléias provinciais têm o direito de legislar. Questões não mencionadas em nenhuma das listas, podem estar sujeitas às leis feitas por uma assembléia provincial; no entanto, sempre que qualquer disposição de um ato de uma assembléia provisória contradizer um ato do Parlamento, as disposições correspondentes do ato da assembléia provincial são nulos. É entendimento da Secretaria que as questões comerciais estão sob a autoridade legislativa do Legislativo Federal. As contas de dinheiro devem ser originárias da Assembléia Nacional; outras contas podem se originar em qualquer casa do Legislativo Federal. Uma conta deve ser aprovada por ambas as casas e depois ser aprovada pelo presidente. O Conselho de Interesse Comum, responsável pelo Poder Legislativo Federal, fornece um fórum para decisão sobre questões de interesse mútuo para as províncias e as autoridades federais.
O primeiro-ministro, que é o chefe do governo federal, é eleito pela Assembléia Nacional. A formulação da política comercial é da exclusiva jurisdição do Governo Federal. Dentro do Governo, o Ministério do Comércio é responsável por todos os assuntos de política comercial. A implementação da política comercial, além do Ministério do Comércio, é tarefa do Conselho Central de Receita e Alfândega. Outras agências com poderes relacionados ao comércio incluem os Ministérios das Finanças e Assuntos Econômicos; Alimentação, Agricultura e Cooperativas; Indústrias; Petróleo e recursos naturais; Planejamento e Desenvolvimento; o Banco do Estado do Paquistão; e o Instituto de Padrões do Paquistão.
As autoridades gozam de amplos poderes discricionários, especialmente em questões tarifárias e fiscais, em que várias decisões administrativas dão isenções e concessões de regras gerais em relação a uma série de itens específicos ou comerciantes.
O Conselho Econômico Nacional (NEC), liderado pelo primeiro ministro, é o órgão supremo de formulação de políticas econômicas. O NEC analisa as condições econômicas gerais e aprova todos os principais planos econômicos e sociais. O Comitê de Coordenação Econômica do Gabinete (ECC), liderado pelo Ministro Federal das Finanças, trata dos assuntos do dia-a-dia e coordena as políticas econômicas iniciadas pelas agências governamentais.
A Comissão Nacional da Pauta aconselha o Governo sobre proteção tarifária e outras formas de assistência. Para interagir com outros ministérios e o setor privado em matéria de política comercial, o Ministério do Comércio criou um Conselho Consultivo, no qual o setor privado é representado pela Federação das Câmaras de Comércio e Indústria do Paquistão e Associações de Câmaras Regionais. No Paquistão, todos os importadores e exportadores devem ser membros de uma associação profissional comercial, comercial ou industrial.
Características e tendências da política comercial.
As políticas econômicas e comerciais do Paquistão são estabelecidas em seus planos quinquenais indicativos. O Oitavo Plano vigente (1993-1998) projeta um crescimento médio anual do PIB real em 7%, com um aumento anual anual planejado no volume de exportações de quase 11%, principalmente em produtos têxteis de maior valor agregado, produtos de engenharia leve e média e artigos esportivos e cirúrgicos. Outros objetivos do plano incluem limitar o crescimento das importações para 5% ao ano em termos reais e, conseqüentemente, reduzir o déficit da conta corrente de 4,2% do PIB em 1992/93 para 2,4% em 1997/98. As autoridades esperam que isso seja alcançado, inter alia, pelo aumento da produção nacional de bens de consumo. É necessário ter cuidado de que os objetivos sejam atingidos pelas forças do mercado e não por meios administrativos, incluindo medidas de fronteira.
O programa de política comercial de médio prazo do Paquistão inclui uma maior liberalização do sistema de comércio e intercâmbio. No âmbito de uma reforma pautal de três anos (1994/97), as taxas arancelarias e outros impostos sobre o comércio internacional serão substancialmente reduzidos e o número de produtos na Lista Negativa será ainda mais reduzido. Espera-se que a liberalização das importações aumente a concorrência entre as importações e a produção nacional e contribua para uma alocação de recursos mais eficiente e o desenvolvimento de um setor de exportação mais eficiente.
O Paquistão não é membro de nenhum acordo de livre comércio. As tarifas são aplicadas quase que exclusivamente em m. f.n. embora as preferências sejam alargadas a um número relativamente pequeno de produtos a certos países em desenvolvimento no âmbito do Protocolo do GATT relativo às Negociações Comerciais entre Países em Desenvolvimento. O Paquistão, juntamente com o Irã e a Turquia, é membro da Organização de Cooperação Econômica e concede 10% de redução de direitos em 16 produtos.
A União Europeia e outros 15 parceiros comerciais concedem o tratamento tarifário do SGP às exportações do Paquistão. Em 1992/93, 43% das exportações do Paquistão receberam tratamento preferencial nos esquemas SGP. A este respeito, têxteis e vestuário estão entre as áreas mais sensíveis do tratamento SGP, total ou parcialmente excluídas em vários países.
O Paquistão reconheceu que a alta proteção dada à economia doméstica isolou o país da concorrência estrangeira, gerou um forte viés anti-exportação na alocação de recursos e aumento da ineficiência, desperdício e declínio da qualidade. Como resultado, a estrutura de exportação do Paquistão permaneceu excessivamente concentrada em um pequeno número de produtos à base de agricultura; Em áreas de produtos mais sofisticadas, a estrutura de exportação do país foi internacionalmente não competitiva.
As reformas recentes relacionadas ao comércio incluem a redução da Lista Negativa de 300 a 75 itens entre 1988 e 1994; um corte na taxa pauta estatutária média de 77 para 50 por cento com uma redução adicional para um máximo de 35 por cento até 1997; a integração de "para-tariffs" e "quot; na tarifa única até meados de 1994; redução, seguida da eliminação do licenciamento de importação e da Lista Restrita; liberalização do crescimento do investimento estrangeiro e abolição do licenciamento industrial.
O Paquistão foi um participante ativo na Rodada Uruguai, com o principal objetivo de fortalecer o sistema comercial multilateral, eliminando o Acordo Multifibras (MFA), integrando o setor têxtil e vestuário no GATT, trazendo a agricultura completamente nas disciplinas do GATT e fornecendo recursos especiais e tratamento diferenciado aos países em desenvolvimento e elaboração de um "acordo equitativo para o comércio de serviços". O Paquistão encontrou os resultados da rodada do Uruguai "desencorajando" principalmente devido a reduções tarifárias inferiores às médias em suas principais áreas de produtos de exportação e à baixa velocidade da integração do setor têxtil no GATT.
Tipo e incidência de instrumentos de política comercial.
Apesar das reduções tarifárias substanciais nos últimos anos, o Paquistão ainda é uma economia de alta tarifa. Atualmente, a média simples das taxas do direito estatutário é de 50%, com a tarifa aritmética mais alta de 70%. A escalação tarifária é substancial em áreas como alimentos, têxteis, couro e papel, petróleo.
No ano orçamental 1994/95, a taxa de importação de 6%, a sobretaxa de Iqra de 5% e os direitos regulatórios foram integrados em uma única tarifa aduaneira. No entanto, o sistema tarifário ainda não é transparente, uma vez que são aplicadas inúmeras, principalmente, obrigações temporárias e concessões no âmbito do sistema de ordens especiais de regulamentação (S. R.Os). Como conseqüência, taxas diferentes são freqüentemente aplicadas ao mesmo produto e as taxas aplicadas são substancialmente menores do que as obrigações legais. Espera-se que o programa de reforma tarifária, a implementar entre 1994 e 1997, melhore a estrutura tarifária não só através da redução dos impostos ainda elevados no comércio internacional, mas também através de uma maior simplificação da estrutura tarifária através da eliminação da maioria das isenções tarifárias e concessões.
O Paquistão tinha apenas um número muito pequeno de ligações tarifárias antes da Rodada Uruguai. Sob a Rodada Uruguai, o país deve vincular cerca de 33 por cento das suas linhas tarifárias, 81 por cento das suas tarifas nos capítulos 1-24 (94 por cento dos produtos agrícolas, conforme definido na Rodada Uruguai), e 25 por cento dos tarifas nos capítulos 25-97.
O Paquistão não assinou o Código de Avaliação da Alfândega da Rodada de Tóquio, devido às suas dificuldades percebidas na implementação do "valor da transação" Conceito do Código em circunstâncias em que o falso faturamento e a trapaça das importações constituíam um problema sério. A avaliação dos bens importados é feita através da comparação dos valores declarados com os preços publicados regularmente no Manual de Avaliação oficial; Isso pode complicar o procedimento de despacho aduaneiro e levar a uma falta de transparência e maior discrição administrativa no sistema. O contrabando é substancial, em parte devido a tarifas elevadas. Espera-se que a implementação de reformas tarifárias conduza a um declínio desta atividade ilegal. Ao aceitar os resultados da Rodada Uruguai, o Paquistão está empenhado em adotar os métodos de avaliação especificados no Contrato.
Até recentemente, as proibições de importação, licenças de importação e outras medidas não-tarifárias eram amplamente utilizadas para controlar os fluxos de importação. Nos últimos anos, o Paquistão fez progressos substanciais na eliminação ou redução das barreiras não tarifárias ao comércio. O número de linhas tarifárias incluídas na Lista Negativa foi reduzido de 300 para 75 (cuja importação é proibida, a menos que especificamente autorizado).
O escopo do licenciamento de importação foi reduzido, em seguida, completamente eliminado em 1993. A Ordem de Política de Importação, 1994, também aboliu a Lista Restrita, cujos produtos eram importáveis ​​apenas por meio de importadores designados. Até meados de 1994, certos produtos (tratores agrícolas e alguns veículos a motor em condições de CBU) estavam sujeitos a requisitos de padronização, o que significava que apenas algumas marcas especificadas eram importantes; Esta restrição também foi abolida, assim como cotas de importação de máquinas e moagem.
No entanto, o Paquistão ainda aplica um número substancial de medidas não-tarifárias. A Lista Negativa inclui não apenas produtos cuja importação é proibida por motivos religiosos, de saúde ou de segurança, mas também bens como itens têxteis e roupas, que são restritos, como afirmam as autoridades, por razões de balança de pagamentos. De acordo com as autoridades paquistanesas, os itens na Lista Negativa podem ser importados em termos das disposições relevantes da Ordem de Política de Importação. No entanto, a Secretaria não está ciente da prática do país a este respeito e não está claro, uma vez que o licenciamento de importação foi abolido, quais os instrumentos utilizados para autorizar as importações de itens que estão na Lista Negativa. Outras medidas não pautais aplicadas às importações incluem vários requisitos de saúde, segurança e procedimentos, motivados principalmente por questões de segurança, saúde e segurança. Todas as importações da Índia são proibidas, a menos que sejam autorizadas por legislação específica.
O escopo da negociação estatal foi substancialmente reduzido. Atualmente, a Trading Corporation do Paquistão, parece não ter privilégios comerciais exclusivos ou especiais. No entanto, a Rice Market Corporation estatal e a Cotton Export Corporation ainda gozam de algumas vantagens herdadas em relação aos seus concorrentes privados, apesar de não ter direitos comerciais exclusivos.
As políticas e práticas de compras governamentais do Paquistão não são totalmente conhecidas da Secretaria. As regras relevantes em vigor favorecem claramente as fontes domésticas sobre as estrangeiras. As autoridades, no entanto, afirmam que recentemente a prática mudou e que nenhuma preferência é dada à produção local.
O Paquistão faz esforços para basear seus padrões em normas internacionais. Os padrões nacionais sobre um pequeno número de itens são inferiores às normas internacionais devido à não disponibilidade doméstica da tecnologia requerida. As normas do Paquistão não parecem constituir um impedimento importante para o comércio.
Uma série de principais produtos de exportação competitivos do país, como o algodão em bruto e o arroz, estão sujeitos a impostos de exportação, por razões de receita ou para desincentivar a exportação de matérias-primas. No entanto, o alcance de tais impostos foi reduzido nos últimos anos. Alguns produtos agrícolas têm restrições à exportação, para garantir um abastecimento interno adequado. As exportações de têxteis e vestuário para países com os quais o Paquistão concluiu acordo de restrição bilateral no âmbito do AMF estão sujeitas a cotas de exportação.
O Paquistão oferece incentivos à exportação, principalmente sob a forma de compensação às exportações por meio de impostos e concessões fiscais, status isento de impostos, zonas de processamento de exportação e armazenagem de mercadorias. A liberalização das importações é considerada o principal veículo para promover exportações e diversificar a estrutura do produto. Cerca de metade das exportações do Paquistão beneficiam de créditos concessionários; Embora os subsídios estatais não estejam envolvidos, o sistema de finanças de exportação foi concebido de forma a colocar o ônus desses créditos no setor não-exportado. As isenções fiscais sobre os rendimentos provenientes das exportações também estão amplamente disponíveis.
Durante as primeiras quatro décadas da história do Paquistão, a industrialização de substituição de importações foi financiada a partir de recursos transferidos da agricultura. Os preços domésticos das matérias-primas agrícolas e dos alimentos foram mantidos baixos e a população urbana recebeu generosos subsídios. Nos últimos anos, o grau de intervenção do Estado foi reduzido, os preços agrícolas se aproximaram do mundo.
os níveis de mercado e a transferência de receitas da agricultura para a indústria foram diminuídos. No entanto, os cálculos equivalentes do Subsídio de Produtor disponíveis, com base nos dados de 1986-90, indicam que as PSEs foram negativas para as principais culturas de exportação do Paquistão, como o algodão e o arroz basmati. Esse fato mostrou que as políticas governamentais ainda estavam tendenciosas contra a agricultura; os subsídios de insumos para produtores agrícolas foram mais do que compensados ​​pelo efeito tributário de outros instrumentos de política relacionados à agricultura. Os principais objetivos da Política Agrícola Nacional, adotados em maio de 1991, incluem o estabelecimento de equidade social, auto-suficiência, orientação para exportação, sustentabilidade e maior produtividade.
O Paquistão coloca especial ênfase na industrialização. O governo dá importância ao investimento privado em indústrias de alta tecnologia, valor agregado e exportação; O apoio ao desenvolvimento industrial inclui concessões fiscais, isenção de direitos aduaneiros, importação e incentivos monetários. O desenvolvimento de indústrias de engenharia é suportado por uma "exclusão" não obrigatória programa, com incentivos para incentivar o conteúdo local; Uma vez que um empresário concordou com um programa de exclusão, podem ser impostas sanções fiscais por incumprimento.
As políticas que afetam a indústria mudaram substancialmente desde 1988. Mais de 100 empresas foram privatizadas e o grau de intervenção do Estado em questões industriais foi reduzido. O licenciamento industrial foi abolido, exceto em um número pequeno de setores e a política de investimento estrangeiro tornou-se mais liberal. O isolamento da indústria paquistanesa do resto do mundo diminuiu, mas a indústria ainda continua protegida por tarifas elevadas e outras medidas.
Embora a legislação do Paquistão autorize direitos antidumping ou compensatórios, nenhuma dessas medidas já foi imposta. Até à data, apenas um pedido de medidas anti-dumping foi analisado pela Comissão, sobre as importações de juta do Bangladesh. [A plena implementação do actual programa de reforma tarifária e liberalização comercial é susceptível de expor uma série de produtores nacionais à concorrência externa; que podem trazer um número crescente de pedidos de ações antidumping ou compensatórias. O Paquistão é signatário do Código Anti-Dumping e dos Subsídios. O Paquistão não tem legislação de salvaguarda separada e nunca tomou medidas de salvaguarda.
Recentemente, o Governo do Paquistão intensificou a reforma do seu sistema comercial com o objetivo de aumentar a sua eficácia e as capacidades de exportação através de uma maior orientação para o mercado e da concorrência com bens e serviços estrangeiros. Conforme observado, as medidas para-tarifárias foram integradas no direito aduaneiro e, no final da implementação do programa de reforma tarifária em 1997, as tarifas mais elevadas serão reduzidas para 35% e a maioria das concessões tarifárias e isenções serão eliminadas . Também se espera que o número de itens na Lista Negativa seja substancialmente reduzido.
Políticas comerciais e parceiros comerciais estrangeiros.
Com o seu abrangente programa de reforma macroeconômica e estrutural introduzido desde 1988, o Paquistão fez os primeiros passos substanciais para reverter as políticas de isolamento e isolamento do país e uma maior integração na economia mundial. Essas reformas, se implementadas de forma consistente, e acompanhadas por medidas macroeconômicas e sociais apropriadas, levarão a uma alocação de recursos mais eficiente, a um desenvolvimento econômico diversificado e a uma maior competitividade da economia do Paquistão nos mercados interno e externo.
As medidas comerciais do Paquistão são aplicadas basicamente de forma não discriminatória; assinou os códigos da Rodada de Tóquio, com exceção da Avaliação Aduaneira e dos Códigos de Compras Governamentais. No Uruguai, o Paquistão aceitou todos os Acordos Comerciais Multilaterais; no entanto, a baixa proporção de taxas tarifárias vinculadas pelo Paquistão, mesmo após a Rodada Uruguai, indica que a sua crescente integração no sistema comercial em curso continuará a ser gradual.
O Paquistão é um país em desenvolvimento, cuja economia é vulnerável às barreiras do comércio externo. Uma característica particular da economia do Paquistão é que o principal grupo de produtos de exportação, têxteis e vestuário, tem sido sujeito a um ritmo comercial restritivo há décadas. O Paquistão pagou um preço elevado em termos de perdas de exportação para esta derrogação da disciplina do GATT. Por esta razão, o Paquistão está profundamente interessado na integração do setor têxtil, uma vez que as oportunidades de exportação nesta área de produtos têm uma influência direta e substancial sobre o crescimento econômico do país. Por conseguinte, é muito importante que os parceiros comerciais do Paquistão assumam as suas responsabilidades através da ratificação e implementação consistente dos resultados da Rodada Uruguai, no estabelecimento de um ambiente comercial favorável que motive o Paquistão a prosseguir e aprofundar a sua reforma comercial e liberalização.
ORGANISMO DE REVISÃO POLÍTICA COMERCIAL: PAQUISTÃO.
Relatório do Governo.
A política comercial do Paquistão é formulada com o objetivo de maximizar os ganhos do comércio internacional através da promoção do comércio mais livre no contexto de um sistema de comércio multilateral global e do incentivo a atividades de produção doméstica eficientes e competitivas. Um ambiente comercial e de produção gratuito e competitivo contribuirá para o desenvolvimento econômico e social do Paquistão. Para o efeito, o Governo implementou uma ampla liberalização do regime comercial. Nos últimos seis anos, as barreiras não tarifárias foram substituídas por tarifas; o nível máximo de tarifas foi reduzido para 70% com poucas exceções; a estrutura tarifária foi racionalizada com o objetivo de reduzir as disparidades na proteção efetiva; e todos os "outros encargos" foram incorporados no regime tarifário estatutário; Todos os itens foram importados, exceto por alguns cuja entrada é restrita em considerações religiosas, de saúde e de segurança, ou por dificuldades de balança de pagamentos.
Para complementar a liberalização do regime comercial, o sistema de câmbio foi totalmente liberalizado. A partir de 1º de julho de 1994, o Paquistão adotou a conversibilidade das contas correntes da Rúpia e eliminou todas as práticas de múltiplas moedas. Conseqüentemente, o Paquistão aceitou e cumpriu as obrigações do Artigo VIII dos Estatutos do FMI.
One of the important objectives of the measures described above has been the elimination of an anti-export bias in resource allocation and to encourage efficient and competitive import substituting activities. The Trade Policy announced by the Government for 1994/95 specified the following objectives:
(i) Prepare Pakistan's industry for a freer global trading system emerging from the Uruguay Round Agreements.
(ii) Stimulate exports by facilitating easy access to raw materials, intermediates and machinery.
(iii) Encourage efficient and competitive import substitution.
(iv) Impart greater transparency by minimizing administrative controls.
(v) Simplify and streamline procedures to make these user friendly.
(vi) Ensure availability of essential commodities in the domestic economy.
(vii) Adopt tariff measures instead of quantitative restrictions.
(viii) Facilitate the transfer of technology into the country.
(ix) Strengthen research and development capabilities and encourage human resource development.
(x) Liberalise controls in the economy and place greater reliance on market forces to promote efficiency and growth.
(xi) And to provide a stable economic environment through greater continuity in policy planning.
Problems in External Markets.
As stated elsewhere, Pakistan is one of the founder members of the General Agreement. Oddly enough, however, the two most important areas of its export interest have largely been kept outside the scope of the normal rules of the multilateral trading system, and of the successive rounds of liberalisation under the GATT auspices. While agriculture fell victim to trade distortions through large-scale subsidisation by the major industrialised countries, the textiles sector has encountered systematic barriers against normal growth of trade and discriminatory treatment through the Multi-fibre Arrangement and its predecessor short and long-term arrangements. Even the results of the Uruguay Round have fallen short of the Pakistan's genuine expectations in these areas. In agriculture, massive subsidisation, both for production and export, has been legitimised. In textiles, likewise, the restrictions are likely to persist for a long period of ten years.
In addition, exports are being increasingly subjected to initiation of anti-dumping and countervailing investigations which creates uncertainty and depresses the business sentiment. Investigation periods are sometimes quite lengthy and the legal costs of defending against these cases is prohibitive. The phenomenon is matter of particular concern because although a number of investigations initiated into alleged dumping or subsidisation of imports from Pakistan all resulted in negative findings, they had already created a damaging impact on normal growth of trade.
During the last few years, the growing tendency towards creation of trading blocs is extremely worrisome to Pakistan, especially as these discriminate against non-member countries. De volta ao topo.

Doing business in Pakistan: Pakistan trade and export guide.
Updated 25 June 2018.
© Crown copyright 2018.
Esta publicação é licenciada sob os termos da Open Government License v3.0, exceto quando indicado de outra forma. Para ver esta licença, visite nationalarchives. gov. uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 ou escreva para a Equipe de Política de Informações, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, ou e-mail: psi@nationalarchives. gsi. gov. uk.
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This publication is available at https://gov. uk/government/publications/exporting-to-pakistan/doing-business-in-pakistan-pakistan-trade-and-export-guide.
1. Pakistan export overview.
Pakistan is a developing market with a young and growing population of around 186 million.
About 55 million live in urban areas. It’s estimated that Pakistan’s cities generate up to 78% of national Gross Domestic Product (GDP ), with Karachi alone contributing about 20%. The growing / aspirational middle class has an appetite for creative, innovative and high quality goods and services.
Contact a Department for International Trade (DIT ) Pakistan export adviser for a free consultation if you are interested in exporting to Pakistan.
Entre em contato com UK Export Finance (UKEF) sobre financiamento comercial e cobertura de seguros para empresas do Reino Unido. You can also check the current UKEF cover position for Pakistan.
Over 100 British businesses are currently doing business in Pakistan, including well-known companies such as Standard Chartered, GlaxoSmithkline, Shell, Toni and Guy, Debenhams and Unilever.
Pakistan is ranked 128th by the World Bank in its Ease of Doing Business Index, higher than India and Bangladesh.
Benefits for UK businesses exporting to Pakistan include:
common business language location in the middle of Asia making Pakistan a gateway to northern India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and western China similar legal practices familiarity with UK companies and brands growing middle class.
Strengths of the Pakistan market include:
sixth most populous country with over 50% population under the age of 25 strong business and consumer base ninth largest English speaking nation investor friendly home to over 600 foreign companies links with Pakistani migrant communities in the UK educated workforce low production and labour costs.
2. Challenges.
Challenges you may face when doing business in or with Pakistan include:
widespread sectarian violence and terrorism threats brings security risks to foreign nationals bureaucracy with government officials can be costly and time consuming ranks 126th out of 177 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Index with corruption widespread and deeply entrenched in the system weak infrastructure and power shortage problems may escalate the cost of doing business weak labour law enforcement and lack of enforced IntelIectual Property Rights (IPR) standards might compromise your products or service quality.
Você deve garantir que você tome as medidas necessárias para cumprir os requisitos da Lei de Suborno do Reino Unido.
3. Potencial de crescimento.
3.1 Crescimento econômico.
Despite its potential, Pakistan’s economy has not yet experienced the rapid expansion seen in Asia’s emerging markets. To revive growth, the government has implemented reforms supported by an International Monetary Fund (IMF ) programme agreed in 2018.
Pakistan benefits from:
one of the world’s youngest populations stable and growing domestic demand proximity to fast growing Asia wealth in natural resources - particularly coal.
The IMF has revised upwards its growth estimate for this year to 4.3%, and expects it to rise to 5% in 3 years.
More than 50% of Pakistan’s economy is services based, with trade-related and communication services among the largest. Industry accounts for nearly a quarter of GDP , and includes an export-oriented textile sector, as well as chemicals and food processing.
Manufacturing activity has recently received a boost from the government’s moves to improve energy availability.
The European Union award of the Generalised System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status came into effect on 1st January 2018. Increasing trade and foreign investment with the EU is expected to boost growth going forward.
3.2 Enhanced Strategic Dialogue.
The Enhanced Strategic Dialogue includes a huge range of UK government cooperation with Pakistan. The governments of Pakistan and the UK are committed to co-operating where we have shared interests, including trade and investment, economic stability and development.
The Prime Ministers of the UK and Pakistan have agreed a ‘Trade and Investment Roadmap’ to promote trade and investment, support business and achieve a bilateral target of £3 billion in trade of goods and services by end of 2018.
3.3 Pakistan trade agreements.
Pakistan currently has 7 bilateral trade agreements in place: Afghanistan, China, Iran Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Mauritius. These preferential and free trade agreements mean that parties enter into binding commitments to relax access to each others’ markets’ for goods, services, and investment.
Pakistan is also a member of the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), an agreement that aims to establish free trading between its members (a region home to around 1.6 billion people) by 2018.
Pakistan and India are currently discussing a Non-Discriminatory Market Access Agreement. When agreed, this will open up trade between Pakistan and the vast Indian market.
3.4 Afghanistan.
Under the Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) signed in 2018, Pakistan serves as a gateway to landlocked Afghanistan. This means that goods destined for the Afghan market use Pakistan’s seaports to transit through the country. In turn, it allows exporters from Pakistan access to central Asian markets via Afghanistan.
4. Trade between UK and Pakistan.
The UK is amongst the largest exporters to Pakistan with over 100 British companies physically operating in Pakistan.
In 2018, UK goods exported to Pakistan were worth £618 million. Bilateral trade in goods and services increased from £1.9 billion in 2009 to 2.2 billion in 2018.
To achieve the Prime Minister’s agreed target of £3 billion by 2018, growth needs to achieve 17.6% year on year.
Major exports from the UK to Pakistan are:
specialised industrial machinery power generation machinery telecom and broadcasting equipment chemicals, pharmaceutical and medical products metal ores and scrap metal.
5. Opportunities for UK businesses in Pakistan.
5.1 Industrial and infrastructure.
Pakistan’s industrial sector now accounts for 25% of GDP . As urbanisation develops Karachi alone will need half a million new housing units every year. There are opportunities for the construction of:
bridges water works power plants ports other mass transport infrastructure.
Contact ukti. pakistan@fco. gov. uk for more information on industrial and infrastructure opportunities.
Pakistan faces a 10,000 MW shortage of power and currently is too reliant on imported oil.
Many of the independent private power projects in operation since 1994 are heavily dependent on fuel oil. As a result, many power plants are now being converted to coal. Pakistan has the third largest coal reserves in the world, an estimated 185 billion tonnes, equivalent to 400 billion barrels of oil. Plans are also in place to increase power production through recently initiated imports of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG ).
Opportunities for UK companies exist in:
importation of LNG and related infrastructure coal mining technology oil and gas exploration and exploitation power generation via wind, solar and other renewable sources such as hydroelectricity (hydel)
Contact ukti. pakistan@fco. gov. uk for more information on energy opportunities.
5.3 Healthcare.
Pakistan has a mixed health care system, comprising of public and private formal / informal sectors. The public sector makes up to 38.5% of health expenditure with the remainder from the private sector.
The healthcare sector is expected to grow by over 13% in the period 2018 to 2018. 70% of product demand is met through local manufacturing, 30% through imports. 25 multinational corporations have 48% of the market share.
The sector includes a market for:
pharmaceuticals worth over £1.3 billion, one of the largest in developing markets diagnostic and scientific equipment estimated at £1.2 billion medical devices valued at £205 million.
Main opportunities in healthcare sector include:
design / build / operate hospitals and clinics pharmaceuticals hospital, clinical and laboratory equipment laboratory, clinical and paramedic training certification, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), compliance and quality control training for surgical goods and other industries cancer treatment programme kidney and liver treatment mobile health units to provide healthcare facilities in rural areas medical educational institution linkages.
Contact ukti. pakistan@fco. gov. uk for more information on opportunities in Pakistan’s healthcare sector.
5.4 Education.
Pakistan’s literacy rate is about 58.5%. The education sector consists of:
150,000+ public education institutions serving over 21 million students private sector serving 12 million students.
Opportunities exist in:
professional development and training for teachers / staff new educational material basic laboratory equipment to modern and innovative technologies and techniques e-coaching and web design Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Higher Education (science and technology) and public sector institutions.
Contact ukti. pakistan@fco. gov. uk for more information on opportunities in the education sector.
5.5 Retail and leisure.
The retail sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of Pakistan, worth over £42 billion in 2018. It’s been growing at around 7% per annum, faster than overall economic growth. The hypermarket segment is growing at a steady rate of 13.5%.
Potential opportunities exist in:
luxury branded goods sector (clothing, footwear and accessories) luxury products like cosmetics increasing growth of shopping centres and availability of retail space growing number of suitable franchise operators in both the luxury and non-luxury segments recognition of foreign brands e-commerce facility management toys.
Contact ukti. pakistan@fco. gov. uk for more information on opportunities in Pakistan’s retail and leisure sector.
5.6 Security and defence.
The general law and order situation throughout the country is a major challenge. The Pakistan security sector is well-established and connected to suppliers based in Europe, north America and the Far East. Pakistan is a price conscious market, but there are opportunities for high quality products and services.
Opportunities in this sector include:
CCTV systems for local authorities and businesses equipment for law enforcement agencies equipment for Pakistan armed forces armoured personal vehicles safe city projects Command, Control and Communication (C3) systems counter terrorism training for both the Police and the Sindh judiciary / prosecution services skills and technology for forensic laboratories and equipment equipment and training for disaster management and relief management.
The Export Control Organisation (ECO) issues licences for the export of strategic goods. You must check your goods are meeting legal requirements for export.
Contact ukti. pakistan@fco. gov. uk for more information on opportunities in the security and defence sector.
5.7 Financial services.
The services sector in Pakistan made an estimated 53.1% contribution towards GDP in 2018. Financial, professional and business services were a major contributor to this figure.
Opportunities exist in:
Islamic banking services reinsurance and personal insurance (telephone and web-based services) retail and commercial banking capital investments.
Contact ukti. pakistan@fco. gov. uk for more information on opportunities in the financial services sector.
5.8 Consultancy services.
Opportunities occur across many sectors, including privatisation of state-owned enterprises. They include a need for:
financial analysis architectural services interior design services policy reforms.
Contact ukti. pakistan@fco. gov. uk for more information on opportunities in the consultancy services sector.
5.9 Creatives industries.
The creative industries economy in Pakistan made a 4.5% contribution towards the national GDP in recent years and as much as 3.71% to national employment. Crafts, publishing, music, visual and performing arts are well represented nationally.
There are opportunities in:
architecture - residential and commercial product design - furniture, lighting, and home accessories. design (product, graphic and fashion) publishing - e-commerce book-selling at discounted prices. Information Technology (IT), software and computer services including development of games, apps and mobile content to use with smart phones.
Contact ukti. pakistan@fco. gov. uk for more information on opportunities in the consultancy services sector.
6. Considerações de inicialização.
If you are looking to do business in Pakistan you can set up a company, normally a local subsidiary.
This is a fairly easy process using:
a local consultancy company (UK companies operate in this field in Pakistan) local lawyers.
You can also enter the market in one of the following ways:
export directly from home country set up an agency appoint a distributor through franchising form a joint venture or manufacture under license agreement with a Pakistani company.
For direct exports you should appoint a local representative, either on a commission basis or as an importer/distributor.
6.1 Family businesses.
Pakistan is a market in which family structures predominate in the business environment, and where personal relationships are important.
This requires an investment primarily of time and personal presence. Likewise, product training for the agent’s workforce is essential. Therefore, you should regularly visit Pakistan, especially during the early phase of your set up.
7. Considerações legais.
The main government agencies involved in the regulation of companies in Pakistan are:
the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) which was set up following 1997 Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan Act and has responsibility for the incorporation and registration of companies the Board Of Investment (BOI) promotes investment opportunities in all sectors of the economy, and provides investment facilitation services to local and foreign investors.
You are advised to seek legal and taxation advice before entering into a joint venture or similar type of partnership with a local company in Pakistan.
Contact the Department for International Trade (DIT ) team in Pakistan to help find tax and legal advisers before entering into agreements.
7.1 Padrões e regulamentações técnicas.
The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority has responsibility for standards and quality requirements.
The Ministry of Health is concerned with labelling requirements of drugs, cigarettes etc. The Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL) is responsible for labelling on food items.
In general, labelling in English and Urdu is required on all consumer products and needs to be approved by the relevant ministry or department. At the minimum, labels need to provide the following:
brand name ingredient list manufacturer details (address) importer’s name and address date of manufacturing date of expiry batch number contents marked in grams (GMS) and milliliters (MLS)
Packaging requirements include:
an original packing list signed in blue ink and stamped with a company seal exact contents of each package should be clearly identified at least 3 copies of the packing list as part of the shipping documents sent to the consignee or agent net weight and gross weight must match weights on commercial invoice and bill of lading.
You should use a packing list for all shipments containing more than one shipping unit of packaged cargo.
Most countries require packing lists to be provided together with the commercial invoice. The information must be consistent with all information shown on the commercial invoice.
7.2 Intellectual property.
Intellectual Property (IP) has been mainstreamed in Pakistan since 2005. Since then the government of Pakistan has taken measures to ensure effective protection of intellectual property in Pakistan.
7.3 Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA )
IPPAs are designed to encourage investor confidence by setting high standards of investor protection applicable in international law. Main elements include:
provisions for equal and non-discriminatory treatment of investors and their investments compensation for expropriation, transfer of capital and returns access to independent settlement of disputes.
Main features of Pakistan’s foreign investment policy are:
all economic sectors are open to foreign direct investment (FDI) 100% foreign equity is allowed on repatriation basis tax and tariff incentives packages are available remittance of royalty, technical and franchise fee, capita, profits, dividends are allowed.
A UK-Pakistan IPPA came into effect on 30 November 1994.
8. Considerações fiscais e aduaneiras.
8.1 Double taxation agreement.
Pakistan and the UK have a Double Taxation Agreement in force. Taxes and duties paid in Pakistan can be claimed back in the UK.
8.2 Corporate taxation.
The corporate tax rate in Pakistan, set by the Federal Board of Revenue, stands at 35%.
The corporate income tax rate is a tax collected from companies. Its amount is based on the net income companies get while doing business, normally during one business year.
8.3 Sales tax.
The sales tax rate in Pakistan stands at 16%, and is set by the Federal Board of Revenue. The sales tax rate is a tax charged to consumers based on the purchase price of certain goods and services.
8.4 Customs duties.
Tariffs change annually.
The maximum import tariff rate is currently 35%. This applies to a few products that the government is actively discouraging the importation of.
You are currently expected to pay:
Port charges, clearance charges, transportation and the additional duties charged for certain products are extra on top of the customs tariff.
Você pode encontrar mais sobre tarifas de importação no Market Access Database.
8.5 Import controls.
There is a list of banned items that cannot be exported to Pakistan. You can find the list on in the Import Policy Order 2018-15.
Visitors are not permitted to import alcoholic beverages, except for non-Muslims, who can import enough for their own consumption.
Exports and imports to and from Israel are prohibited.
8.6 Documentation.
Two copies of the commercial invoice should be included. The invoice should provide exact details of the shipment including:
number of packages marks, prices and description of goods quantity place of origin freight and insurance any other information to facilitate customs clearance.
You need to get insurance certificates and Letters of Credit (LoC). A Bill of Lading is required to allow cargo clearance.
Certificates of Origin are only required if the imports require additional processing in Pakistan.
Facsimile signatures are not acceptable and will be rejected by Pakistan Customs.
Permit applications under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance require one additional copy of invoice and Bill of Lading.
9. Business behavior.
English is the official business language in Pakistan. People speak reasonably good English and have a good level of understanding.
Pakistan is an Islamic state. Women are expected to dress modestly when attending meetings or visiting some parts of the country. Western attire is acceptable.
Pork is banned in the country. Alcohol is officially banned for Pakistanis, but overseas visitors can buy alcohol at some leading hotels. This can only be consumed on the premises.
Muslims observe the month of Ramadan where they fast from sunrise to sunset. It’s recommended not to plan a business trip during this month as productivity decreases.
Photography of sensitive installations such as bridges, ports and airports is prohibited.
9.1 Entry requirements.
If you are travelling to Pakistan on a British passport, you’ll need to get a visa before you travel. Visa violations can be treated as a criminal offence and could result in a fine or detention.
Details of the types of visa and how to apply can be found at the Pakistan High Commission website.
9.2 Travel Advice.
If you’re travelling to Pakistan for business, check the FCO travel advice beforehand.
10. Contatos.
Contact the Department for International Trade (DIT ) Team in Pakistan for more information and advice on opportunities for doing business in Pakistan.
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Pakistan.
Pakistan , populous and multiethnic country of South Asia. Having a predominately Indo-Iranian speaking population, Pakistan has historically and culturally been associated with its neighbours Iran, Afghanistan, and India. Since Pakistan and India achieved independence in 1947, Pakistan has been distinguished from its larger southeastern neighbour by its overwhelmingly Muslim population (as opposed to the predominance of Hindus in India). Pakistan has struggled throughout its existence to attain political stability and sustained social development. Its capital is Islamabad, in the foothills of the Himalayas in the northern part of the country, and its largest city is Karachi, in the south on the coast of the Arabian Sea.
Pakistan was brought into being at the time of the partition of British India, in response to the demands of Islamic nationalists: as articulated by the All India Muslim League under the leadership of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, India’s Muslims would receive just representation only in their own country. From independence until 1971, Pakistan (both de facto and in law) consisted of two regions—West Pakistan, in the Indus River basin in the northwestern portion of the Indian subcontinent, and East Pakistan, located more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) to the east in the vast delta of the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system. In response to grave internal political problems that erupted in civil war in 1971, East Pakistan was proclaimed the independent country of Bangladesh.
Pakistan encompasses a rich diversity of landscapes, starting in the northwest, from the soaring Pamirs and the Karakoram Range through a maze of mountain ranges, a complex of valleys, and inhospitable plateaus, down to the remarkably even surface of the fertile Indus River plain, which drains southward into the Arabian Sea. It contains a section of the ancient Silk Road and the Khyber Pass, the famous passageway that has brought outside influences into the otherwise isolated subcontinent. Lofty peaks such as K2 and Nanga Parbat, in the Pakistani-administered region of Kashmir, present a challenging lure to mountain climbers. Along the Indus River, the artery of the country, the ancient site of Mohenjo-daro marks one of the cradles of civilization.
Yet, politically and culturally, Pakistan has struggled to define itself. Established as a parliamentary democracy that espoused secular ideas, the country has experienced repeated military coups, and religion—that is to say, adherence to the values of Sunni Islam—has increasingly become a standard by which political leaders are measured. In addition, northern Pakistan—particularly the Federally Administered Tribal Areas—has become a haven for members of neighbouring Afghanistan’s ousted Taliban regime and for members of numerous other Islamic extremist groups. In various parts of the country, instances of ethnic, religious, and social conflict have flared up from time to time, often rendering those areas virtually ungovernable by the central authorities, and acts of violence against religious minorities have increased.
At the time of partition in 1947, as many as 10 million Muslim refugees fled their homes in India and sought refuge in Pakistan—about 8 million in West Pakistan. Virtually an equal number of Hindus and Sikhs were uprooted from their land and familiar surroundings in what became Pakistan, and they fled to India. Unlike the earlier migrations, which took centuries to unfold, these chaotic population transfers took hardly one year. The resulting impact on the life of the subcontinent has reverberated ever since in the rivalries between the two countries, and each has continued to seek a lasting modus vivendi with the other. Pakistan and India have fought four wars, three of which (1948–49, 1965, and 1999) were over Kashmir. Since 1998 both countries have also possessed nuclear weapons, further heightening tensions between them.
Economia.
After several experiments in economic restructuring, Pakistan currently operates a mixed economy in which state-owned enterprises account for a large portion of gross domestic product (GDP). The country has experimented with several economic models during its existence. At first, Pakistan’s economy was largely based on private enterprise, but significant sectors of it were nationalized beginning in the early 1970s, including financial services, manufacturing, and transportation. Further changes were made in the 1980s, under the military government of Zia ul-Haq. Specifically, an “Islamic” economy was introduced, which outlawed practices forbidden by Sharīʿah (Muslim law)—e. g., charging interest on loans ( ribā )—and mandated such traditional religious practices as the payment of zakāt (tithe) and ʿushr (land tax). Though portions of the Islamic economy have remained in place, the state began in the 1990s to privatize—in whole or in part—large sectors of the nationalized economy.
The economy, which was primarily agricultural at the time of independence, has become considerably diversified. Agriculture, now no longer the largest sector, contributes roughly one-fifth of GDP, while manufacturing provides about one-sixth. Trade and services, which combined constitute the largest component of the economy, have grown considerably. In terms of the structure of its economy, Pakistan resembles the middle-income countries of East and Southeast Asia more than the poorer countries of the Indian subcontinent. Economic performance compares favourably with that of many other developing countries; Pakistan has maintained a sustained and fairly steady annual growth rate since independence.
At the same time, there has been a relentless increase in population, so, despite real growth in the economy, output per capita has risen only slowly. This slow growth in per capita income has not coincided with a high incidence of absolute poverty, however, which has been considerably smaller in Pakistan than in other South Asian countries. Nonetheless, a significant proportion of the population lives below the poverty line, and the relative prosperity of the industrialized regions around Karachi and Lahore contrasts sharply with the poverty of the Punjab’s barani areas, the semiarid Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing.
Overall, approximately one-fourth of Pakistan is arable land, although only small fractions of that are in permanent crops (about 1 percent) or permanent pastures (6 percent). Roughly 5 percent of the country is forested. Nonetheless, agriculture, forestry, and fishing still provide employment for the single largest proportion of the labour force and a livelihood for an even larger segment of the population. Land-reform programs implemented in 1959, 1972, and 1977 began to deal with the problems of large-scale, often absentee ownership of land and the excessive fragmentation of small holdings by introducing maximum and minimum area limits. The commercialization of agriculture has also resulted in fairly large-scale transfers of land, concentrating its ownership among middle-class farmers.
The attention given to the agricultural sector in development plans has brought about some radical changes in centuries-old farming techniques. The construction of tube wells for irrigation and salinity control, the use of chemical fertilizers and scientifically selected seeds, and the gradual introduction of farm machinery have all contributed to the notable increase in productivity. As a consequence, Pakistan experienced what became known as the Green Revolution during the late 1960s, leaving a surplus that was partly shipped to East Pakistan (Bangladesh) and partly exported; self-sufficiency in wheat—the national staple—was achieved by about 1970. Cotton production also rose, which added to the domestic production of textiles and edible cottonseed oils. Rice is the second major food staple and one of the country’s important export crops. Large domestic sugar subsidies have been primarily responsible for an increase in sugarcane production. Other crops include chickpeas, pearl millet ( bajra ), corn (maize), rapeseed, and mustard, as well as a variety of garden crops, including onions, peppers, and potatoes. Pakistan benefits greatly from having two growing seasons, rabi (spring harvest) and kharif (fall harvest).
The cultivation and transportation of illicit narcotics remains a large sector of the informal economy. Pakistan is one of the world’s leading producers of opium poppy (for the production of heroin) and also produces or transports cannabis (as hashish) from Afghanistan for local markets and for reexport abroad.
Animal husbandry provides important domestic and export products. Livestock includes cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, camels, and poultry. These animals provide meat and dairy products for local consumption, as well as wool for the carpet industry and for export and hides and skins for the leather industry. The contribution of forestry to national income remains negligible, but that of fisheries has risen. Fishing activity is centred in Karachi, and part of the catch of lobster and other shellfish is exported.
River water is used in large parts of the country to irrigate agricultural areas. The Balochistan plateau has a remarkable indigenous method of irrigation called the qanāt (or kārīz ) system, which consists of underground channels and galleries that collect subsoil water at the foot of hills and carry it to fields and villages. The water is drawn from the channels through shafts that are sunk into the fields at suitable intervals. Because the channels are underground, the loss of water by evaporation is minimized.
Resources and power.
The exploration of Pakistan’s mineral wealth is far from complete, but some two dozen different types of exploitable minerals have been located. Iron ore deposits are mostly of poor quality. The most extensive known reserves are situated in the Kalabagh region, in western Punjab. Other low-grade ore reserves have been found in Hazara, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Small reserves of high-grade iron ore have been identified in Chitral and in the Chilghazi area (located in northwestern Balochistan), as well as in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Deposits of copper ore equaling or surpassing the reserves of iron ore have been found, but most sites remain unexploited. There are enormous reserves of easily exploited limestone that form the basis of a growing cement industry, a major component of the manufacturing sector. Other minerals that are exploited include chromite (mostly for export), barite, celestine (strontium sulfate), antimony, aragonite (calcium carbonate), gypsum, rock salt, and marble and granite.
Hydrocarbons and power.
Pakistan has modest quantities of petroleum and some large natural gas fields. The first oil discovery was made in 1915. Pakistan intensified the search for oil and natural gas in the 1980s and was rewarded with the discovery of a number of new oil fields in the Potwar Plateau region and in Sind. A number of fields have been developed, particularly near Badin, in Sind. Despite the continued search for new and richer fields (including some offshore exploration and drilling), Pakistan has had to import increasing amounts of oil from abroad to satisfy growing consumption, making the country vulnerable to fluctuations in world oil markets. Most imports take the form of crude oil, which is refined into various products. Pakistan’s refinery capacity well exceeds its domestic crude production. The oil sector is regulated by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, and international oil companies are authorized to operate in Pakistan in cooperation with domestic companies.
The largest natural gas deposits are at Sui (on the border between Balochistan and Punjab), discovered in 1953. A smaller field, at Mari, in northeast Sind province, was found in 1957. A number of smaller natural gas fields subsequently have been discovered in various areas. A network of gas pipelines links the fields with the main consumption areas: Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, and Islamabad. Although proven reserves are large, they have not kept pace with domestic consumption.
Coal mining is one of the country’s oldest industries. The quality of the coal is poor, and the mines have been worked below capacity because of the difficulty of access; despite ample reserves, the country regularly imports coal.
Although energy production has grown faster than the economy as a whole, it has not kept pace with demand, and as a result there are shortages of fuel and electric power. The bulk of power requirements are provided by thermal plants (coal, oil, and natural gas), with most of the remainder provided by hydroelectric installations.
The generation, transmission, and distribution of power is the responsibility of the Pakistani Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), a public-sector corporation. WAPDA lost its monopoly over generation after Pakistan entered into an agreement in 1989 with a consortium of foreign firms to produce power from giant oil-fired plants located at Hub, near Karachi; the plants were completed in 1997.
Great progress, however, has been made in the development of the hydroelectric potential of Pakistan’s rivers. A giant hydroelectric plant is in operation at the Mangla Dam, on the Jhelum River in Azad Kashmir (the part of Kashmir under Pakistani administration). Another such source is the giant Tarbela Dam, on the Indus River.
Pakistan has three nuclear power plants, the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (completed 1972), the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant-1 (2000), and the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant-2 (2018). The Chashma plants are at Kundian, Punjab. Nuclear power provides only a tiny proportion of the country’s total energy production.
Fabricação.
Mining and quarrying account for a small percentage of GDP and of total employment. Manufacturing, however, constitutes a healthy proportion. The beginning of the main industrialization effort dates to the cessation of trade between India and Pakistan in 1949, soon after the two countries gained independence. Initially it was based on the processing of raw agricultural materials for domestic consumption and for export. This led to the construction of cotton textile mills—a development that now accounts for a large part of the total employment in industry. Woolen textiles, sugar, paper, tobacco, and leather industries also provide many jobs for the industrial labour force.
The growing trade deficit in the mid-1950s compelled the government to cut down on imports, which encouraged the establishment of a number of import-substitution industries. At first these factories produced mainly consumer goods, but gradually they came to produce intermediate goods and a range of capital goods, including chemicals, fertilizers, and light engineering products. Nevertheless, Pakistan still has to import a large proportion of the capital equipment and raw materials required by industry. In the 1970s and early ’80s Pakistan set up an integrated iron and steel mill at Pipri, near Karachi, with the financial and technical assistance of the Soviet Union. A new port, Port Qāsim (officially Port Muḥammad Bin Qāsim), was built to bring iron ore and coal for the mill.
Initially Karachi was the centre of Pakistan’s industrialization effort, but in the late 1960s and early ’70s Lahore and the cities around it began to industrialize rapidly. Karachi’s ethnic problems in the late 1980s and early ’90s accelerated this process, and Punjab increasingly became Karachi’s competitor in industrial output.
Major manufactured products include jute and cotton textiles, cement, vegetable ghee, cigarettes, and bicycles. Although the country still imports most of its motor vehicles, some Pakistani firms have entered into contracts with foreign companies to produce automobiles, motorcycles, and industrial tractors domestically.
Finance contributes a relatively small value to GDP, though its growth rate in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has been considerable. Pakistan has a variety of state banks, state-run banks (though more-recent trends have been toward privatizing these), scheduled (i. e., commercial) banks, private banks, and foreign banks. Noteworthy has been the spread of banks that operate within the principles of Islamic law. A number of such institutions were established beginning in the 1980s, and, more recently, several established Western-style banks have opened up divisions offering Islamic banking services.
Pakistan has a fairly well-developed system of financial services. The State Bank of Pakistan (1948) has overall control of the banking sector, acts as banker to the central and provincial governments, and administers official monetary and credit policies, including exchange controls. It has the sole right to issue currency (the Pakistani rupee) and has custody of the country’s gold and foreign-exchange reserves.
Pakistan has a number of commercial banks, called scheduled banks, which are subject to strict State Bank requirements as to paid-up capital and reserves. They account for the bulk of total deposits, collected through a network of branch offices. A few specialist financial institutions provide medium - and long-term credit for industrial, agricultural, and housing purposes and include the Pakistan Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation (1957; since 2001, PICIC Commercial Bank, Ltd.), the Industrial Development Bank of Pakistan (1961), the Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan (1961), and the House Building Finance Corporation (1952). There are a number of private banks, many of which operate from Karachi. Habib Bank, Ltd., is one of the oldest. The Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) was founded in Pakistan in 1972; BCCI’s collapse in 1991 precipitated a major international banking scandal.
The Karachi Stock Exchange (Guarantee) Limited (1947), Lahore Stock Exchange (Guarantee) Limited (1970), and Islamabad Stock Exchange (Guarantee) Limited (1989) are the largest such institutions in the country; each deals in stocks and shares of registered companies. The Investment Corporation of Pakistan (1966) and the National Investment Trust (1962) were founded by the state to help channel domestic savings into the capital market; both have since been partly privatized. As part of the development of the “Islamic” economy, interest-free banking and financing practices have been instituted in many specialized banks.
Trade has grown into one of the major sectors of the Pakistani economy and employs a significant proportion of the workforce. Although there has been a trend toward increasing exports, the country has had a chronic annual trade deficit, with imports often outstripping exports. Over the years, important changes have taken place in the composition of foreign trade. In particular, while the proportion of total exports from primary commodities, including raw cotton, has fallen, the share of manufactures has greatly increased. But the bulk of the manufactured products coming into the export trade consists of cotton goods, so that Pakistan remains as dependent as ever on its leading cash crop. The other manufactures exported come mostly from industries based on agriculture, such as leather and leather goods and carpets; exports of rice and petroleum products are also important. The shift toward manufactured agricultural exports, which have a higher added-value content than primary commodities, has been encouraged by the government. The trade deficits and shortages of foreign exchange have made it necessary for the government to restrict imports and to provide financial incentives to promote export trade. Major imports consist of machinery, chemicals and chemical products, crude oil, refined petroleum, food and edible oils, and motor vehicles. Pakistan’s most important trading partners are the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and China.
The government has traditionally been a major employer, and, just as in other former colonial countries with a well-developed civil service, government positions are coveted for the financial security that they offer. Combined with public administration, defense, construction, and public utilities, services account for roughly one-fourth of GDP and employ about one-fifth of the workforce. Tourism traditionally has contributed little to the economy, but the country has consistently attracted a number of tourists who engage in “adventure” tours, particularly in the high mountains of the north, where the Karakoram Highway provides access to some of the loftier peaks for hikers and climbers. Likewise, the ruins at Mohenjo-daro and Taxila—designated UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1980—attract a number of interested outsiders each year.
Remittances from workers abroad constitute a large (though extremely difficult to measure) source of revenue. At any given time there are several million Pakistanis working abroad, throughout the world; officially, the income that they send home (as well as money remitted by Pakistani immigrants abroad) amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Much income is likely transferred through unofficial channels—either by hand or through the services of the traditional system of money exchanges known as hawala — and the total amount of money remitted from abroad is likely much higher than official statements.
Labour and taxation.
The trade union movement dates to the late 19th century, but, because Pakistan’s industrial sector (inherited at independence) was so small, organized labour as a proportion of total employment is still in the minority. This has not prevented it from becoming an important political force. Before the 1971 civil war, there were considerably more than 1,000 registered unions, most of them organized within individual establishments. Countrywide unions based on a common craft or a particular industry were very few. Most of the unions were situated in the urban centres and were affiliated with one of three national labour confederations. After the civil war and the emergence of Bangladesh, the number of unions declined to a few hundred, affiliated with one umbrella organization, the Pakistan National Federation of Trade Unions.
Because of the country’s relatively high rates of unemployment, employers have remained in a strong position, and many of them have been able to bypass working agreements and laws. Only the unions in the larger industries (e. g., cotton textiles) have had the necessary coherence to fight back. Labour laws introduced in 1972 met some of the demands (job security, social welfare, pensions) of organized labour but also sought to control political activity by industrial workers. Labour union activity was severely constrained by the military government of 1977–88 but was subsequently revived during the first administration (1988–91) of Benazir Bhutto.
Taxation accounts for the main source of government revenue: the government levies sales taxes, income taxes, customs duties, and excise taxes. Sales and income taxes account for the largest proportion of all revenues, with nontax receipts constituting a large portion of the balance. Government expenditures exceed revenues by a large amount. Income tax rates have been comparatively high, but the tax base has been so small that individual and corporate income tax revenues have remained substantially lower than excise, sales, and other indirect taxes. The government has been able to maintain heavy expenditures on development and defense because of the inflow of foreign aid and worker remittances.
Transportation and telecommunications.
Buses and trucks have displaced rail as the principal long-distance carrier. A program of deregulation of the road transport industry was undertaken in 1970 and encouraged the entry of a large number of independent operators into the sector. Trucks and tractor-drawn trailers have largely displaced the traditional bullock cart for local transport of produce to markets, but in many rural areas animal power is still crucial to economic survival. Air transport of cargo and passengers has become increasingly important.
All the main cities are connected by major highways, and Pakistan is connected to each of its neighbours, including China, by road. The great majority of roads are paved. The country’s main rail route runs more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) north from Karachi to Peshawar, via Lahore and Rawalpindi. Another main line branches northwestward from Sukkur to Quetta.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), established in 1954, is the national carrier; until the mid-1990s it was the sole domestic carrier, but since then a number of small regional airlines and charter services have been established. (PIA also runs international flights to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia, as well as to neighbouring Afghanistan.) The principal airports are located at Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Quetta, and Peshawar. Karachi, Port Qāsim, and Gwadar are the principal port cities. Since 2018 management and modernization of Gwadar’s port have been handled by a Chinese state-owned firm. A number of small harbours along the Makran Coast handle the small boats that ply between Pakistan and the Persian Gulf states. In the early 1990s the limitations of the transportation system emerged as a major constraint on the modernization of the economy, prompting the government to undertake large-scale investments in the highway sector. Private entrepreneurs were invited to participate on the basis of a “ build-operate-transfer” (BOT) approach, which subsequently became popular in other developing countries. (In the BOT system, private entrepreneurs build and operate infrastructure facilities such as ports, highways, and power plants and then recover their costs by charging tariffs from the users. Once the investors have recovered their outlay, the facility created is transferred to the government.)
Pakistan’s telephone system has developed and expanded since the first years of independence. Since 1988 the government has stimulated investment in telecommunications and prompted the development of an efficient national system. Pakistan Telecommunications Company, Ltd.—originally founded in 1947 as the state-run Pakistan Posts and Telegraph Department and partly privatized in 1994—is the country’s largest carrier. Despite increasing capacity, standard telephone service is generally sparse, with only a fraction of households having a landline and rural areas generally still without any standard services. Mobile phone usage, however, has increased dramatically. Pakistani networks are connected with the outside world via satellite and by fibre-optic lines. At the beginning of the 21st century, personal computer ownership was almost nonexistent and Internet access was sparse. Since that time, however, Pakistan experienced significant growth: by the end of the decade, the proportion of households with a personal computer had grown to almost one-tenth. While Internet access through home computers remained very limited, Internet penetration in general reached about one-tenth of the population, partly due to the popularity of shared portals such as Internet cafés.

Pakistan and the Emerging Trading System.
Pakistan and the Emerging Trading System.
This paper attempts to visualise the likely outcome of Doha Round and discusses the possible opportunities and challenges that Pakistan may face in the future.
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 1947, and its successor, the World Trade Organization, 1994, set out the basic principles and framework for the conduct of global trade. They envisaged periodic multilateral negotiations for successive liberalisation of trade and relaxation of barriers. In the past sixty years, since the conclusion of GATT in 1947, eight such “Rounds” of negotiation have been conducted. The first seven Rounds were focused on reduction and binding of tariffs by members and elaboration of some rules, whereas the eighth (Uruguay) Round (1986-94) was wide-ranging, going beyond the traditional area of trade in non-agricultural goods to other areas such as agriculture, services and intellectual property rights. An important aspect of this Round was the phasing out, by 2005, of barriers on trade in textiles and clothing that had been introduced under the Multifibre Arrangement (MFA) in 1974 and under which Pakistan’s exports of textiles and clothing were also restricted in advanced markets, in particular USA and the European Union (EU). The Uruguay Round’s most distinctive contribution was the conversion of GATT into the World Trade Organization.
The current Doha Round, which was launched in November 2001 by the WTO Ministerial Meeting — the highest decision-making body—is mandated to advance the trade liberalisation process, in particular, by improving market access in agriculture and non-agriculture products and services. The negotiations faced problems from the very start due to inflexible positions adopted by the key players on critical issues of agriculture and market access in non-agricultural products. The talks encountered a serious setback at the next Ministerial Meeting, held at Cancun, Mexico, in September 2003, due to wide differences among members on major issues, in particular, agriculture. The position was somewhat retrieved by the WTO General Council in July-August 2004 with the adoption of framework agreements for advancing negotiations in agriculture and non-agriculture products. The next Ministerial Meeting, conducted in Hong Kong in December 2005, was able to improve the environment and bring the Negotiations back on track with the understanding that negotiations would be completed in 2006. However, this meeting left some critical matters, particularly in the areas of agriculture and market access in non-agricultural products, for resolution by 30 April and 31 July 2006. These two landmark dates have passed without tangible progress; in fact, negotiations had to be suspended in July 2006 to save the situation from further deterioration. The mechanism of informal consultations, especially among leading players, has since been resorted to in order to bring the negotiations back on track (The Cairns Group meeting held in Lahore in mid-April 2007 was one of such attempts). Agriculture remains the main contentious and thorny issue, followed by market access for non-agricultural products. As negotiations on all issues are seen as a ‘package,’ progress on other non-contentious matters is also on hold, awaiting the outcome of the contentious areas.
Critical Areas of Negotiations.
The Doha Development Agenda is wide ranging and also includes some new areas, such as trade facilitation. The Round has also subsumed negotiations that began earlier under provisions of related agreements, such as the Agreement on Agriculture (1994) and General Agreement on Trade in Services (1994). The main areas of the Doha Agenda are discussed below.
Agriculture: The long-term objective of negotiation is to establish a fair and market-oriented trading system through a program of fundamental reforms encompassing strengthened rules and specific commitments on “support” and “protection” in order to correct and prevent restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets. The main issues to be addressed include enlargement of “market access,” elimination of “export subsidies” and reduction in “domestic support measures.” The framework for establishing modalities in agriculture and the timeframe for elimination of export subsidies (by 2018) were agreed at the General Council on 1 August 2004 and Ministerial Meeting in December 2005; however, progress on establishing negotiation modalities and schedules of commitment remains elusive. The deadlines of 30 April 2006 and 31 July 2006 agreed for completion of these actions have passed without any progress. The main hurdles are agreement on elimination of export subsidies (for which a timeframe of 2018 has been agreed in Hong Kong) and reduction in the trade distorting domestic support programs for agriculture, primarily those of the USA and EU.
A host of other technical issues are also yet to be resolved. Intensive efforts are being made to break the deadlock and bring the negotiations back on track but the gulf between major trading partners persists.
Being an exporter of agricultural products, Pakistan has an interest in liberalisation of trade in agriculture and reduction and elimination of export subsidies and domestic support in major markets. Since it is not providing any trade distorting export subsidies or domestic support to its own agriculture sector, its position in the negotiations is relatively comfortable. It is, therefore, collaborating with other agriculture exporting countries in various groups, such as the Cairns Group and Group of 33, in seeking greater market access and elimination of export subsidies and domestic support measures in the USA, EU and other highly protected markets.
These groups are also devising a common strategy on such matters as indicators for selection of Special Products (i. e. products on which there is no duty reduction) and a Special Safeguard Mechanism for developing countries. With substantial export potential in agriculture, Pakistan should benefit from successful conclusion of the negotiations. Simultaneously, it will have to desist from adopting any policy relating to export and domestic support to agriculture that contravenes WTO commitments. Under the Uruguay Round, Pakistan has bound its import tariff on agricultural products at 100 percent, whereas the prevailing tariff is 25 percent. Under the Doha Round, it has to further improve market access for other trading partners by reducing tariffs and eliminating non-tariff barriers. This warrants strengthening of the agriculture sector so it can withstand external competition, as well as devising a mechanism to safeguard sensitive agricultural products. In order to exploit the market opportunities, Pakistan also has to adopt compatible international systems and practices.
Non-agriculture products: With respect to non-agricultural products, the negotiations aim at reducing or eliminating tariffs, including tariff peaks, high tariffs and tariff escalations, as well as non-tariff barriers, especially where the products are of export interest to developing countries. The negotiations are required to take into account the special needs and interests of developing countries, including less than full reciprocity in reduction commitments. On 1 August 2004, the General Council adopted the negotiating framework for non-agriculture market access. Subsequently, the Ministerial Meeting held in Hong Kong on 13-18 December 2005 adopted the Swiss Formula, inter alia , to reduce/eliminate tariffs, in particular on products of export interest to developing countries. It further agreed to establish negotiating modalities by 30 April 2006 and draft schedules of concessions by 31 July 2006. Agreement is yet to be reached on the coefficient that should be used in reducing tariffs by developed and developing countries. No meaningful progress has been made and the target dates have passed.
Following the principle of reciprocity, Pakistan has bound about 25 percent of its tariff lines at rates ranging from 100 to 20 percent under the Uruguay Round. These bound rates are higher than the prevailing rates (i. e. 25 percent). Although this difference in bound and actual rates provides some elbow room for negotiations, the commitment under the current Round should take into account the position of individual domestic industries, implications of the Swiss Formula (which implies deeper cuts on high tariffs), and the market access that other trading partners would provide to it. In the context of Swiss Formula, the critical element is the coefficient that may be agreed for tariff reduction by developing countries like Pakistan. The government, in collaboration with industry, may examine the impact on domestic industry of tariff reduction using different coefficients. Pakistan should seek elimination of tariff peaks, tariff escalations and non-tariff barriers on products of its export interest (like textiles and clothing, leather goods, rice and fruits) in other markets.
Services: Under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), members have liberalised services trade, assuming general obligations such as most favored nation (MFN) treatment to services of other partners, and making binding commitments on specific services. Negotiations initiated under the Doha Round aim at progressively higher liberalisation of such trade. Guidelines and procedures for negotiations were agreed in 2001 and members were required to exchange ‘requests’ seeking concessions from other members and ‘offers’ indicating willingness to extend concessions followed by actual negotiations. The process of exchanging requests and offers remained slow and negotiations have not started.
Under the Uruguay Round, Pakistan assumed MFN general obligation with seven exemptions in the finance and telecommunication sectors and made specific commitments in six service sectors (including 42 sub-sectors). In the current negotiations, it has submitted an “initial offer” list based on requests received from trading partners envisaging further improvement in existing commitments and inclusion of some new areas, such as education. It has submitted its “request list,” prepared in consultation with domestic stakeholders, seeking commitments from trading partners in areas of its export interest. In addition, plurilateral requests have been submitted in association with other countries that have a similar export interest.
As Pakistan is following a policy of liberalisation and deregulation, extending concessions in the services sector should not pose any serious problem. The basic issue is the opening that it should be able to obtain from the trading partners, in particular for export of manpower in which it enjoys a relative advantage. Pakistan may adopt a three-dimensional strategy for the promotion of services exports, including (i) enhancing production, productive capacity and quality of services; (ii) negotiating with trading partners to secure expanded market access in areas of export interest in exchange for the openings that Pakistan is offering to them; and (iii) strengthening public and private collaboration aimed at realising these objectives.
Other Issues: Negotiations in other areas, like intellectual property rights, environment, trade facilitation, dispute settlement, etc., are aimed at improving the trading environment and facilitating movement of goods and services. These negotiations are overshadowed by lack of progress in agriculture and non-agricultural products.
Pakistan should strive for improved systems with special and favourable treatment being accorded to developing countries in these negotiations.
Likely Scenario after the Doha Round.
The possibility that the Doha Round will conclude in 2007 is remote. The original deadline of 2004 and the revised deadline of 2006 agreed at the Hong Kong Ministerial Meeting in December 2005 have both passed, yet resolution of critical issues is not in sight. The mandate for negotiation of the US Administration will expire in July 2007, whereupon it may have to seek fresh mandate from the Congress authorising it to continue with the negotiations. Contrary to the views held by some analysts, the WTO is likely to emerge stronger rather than weaker after the Round. This is borne out from past experience; successive negotiations added to the strength and significance of GATT/WTO. The talks are not likely to resolve all issues, although there will be compromised agreement on some contentious issues like agriculture. Some issues may be carried forward while many new ones will arise in the course of negotiations, which may have to be taken up in subsequent negotiations. Trade barriers are likely to ease and binding commitments will be made by all members, including developing countries (although their commitments will be mild and staggered). These commitments will cover all the three important areas of agriculture, market access for non-agricultural products and services. There will be improvement in discipline and operation in other areas as well. The magnitude and nature of commitments may differ in each case. No immediate and large opening up of markets for agriculture in developed countries should be expected. It is difficult to visualize the complete phasing out of barriers, subsidies and support programmes in EU, USA and Japan. Process could be painfully slow. The phasing may be gradual, with a built-in mechanism to protect sensitive areas and prevent a sudden surge in imports. Commitments by advanced countries will most probably be conditioned on domestic policies. Caveats will be built into the system to safeguard their interests. Special and differential treatment will mainly be available to Least Developed Countries. Other developing countries, in particular those that are large and fast growing, are not likely to benefit from such treatment. The principle of reciprocity will be adhered to — though not in full — and no significant special treatment is likely to be extended to developing countries ex gratia . They will be required to reciprocate by expanding market access for others. Improvement in commitments in services trade is expected. However, no substantial concessions are expected in Mode 4 — Movement of Natural Persons — in which developing countries have potential. Even the marginal commitments given will remain subject to such conditions as qualifications, economic need tests and visa restrictions. The WTO framework is likely to be used in greater measure by members for protection of their trade interests and for dispute settlement. The number of anti-dumping and other cases referred to WTO Dispute Settlement Bodies will increase. Regional and free trade arrangements will continue to expand, though not as vigorously as at present, along with multilateralism. These arrangements are being presented as precursors and facilitators of multilateralism. Civil society has emerged as an important actor on global issues. Protests and demonstrations, coupled will intellectual input in terms of analysis of the impact of globalisation and WTO arrangements on poverty, social distress and asymmetry in sharing of gains, are influencing the approaches of negotiators. This influence will gain greater significance in the future.
Opportunities and Challenges for Pakistan.
The Doha Round entails opportunities as well as challenges for Pakistan. Some issues that need attention are set out below:
The thrust of policies in Pakistan continues to be on liberalisation and deregulation and it is thus in line with WTO principles. However, instead of following these policies autonomously, as has been done in the past, it will be beneficial to link them with WTO negotiations — Pakistan can seek concessions from other members in exchange for the market openings being provided to them as part of the liberalisation process. Pakistan is required to assume additional obligations and commitments in terms of providing market access and national treatment for products and services of other members, which may pose challenges and competition to the domestic economy. In return, Pakistani products and services will have greater access to other markets. Fruitful exploitation of the opportunities of the liberalised market will depend on building the capacity of the domestic economy to avail external markets and to withstand competition from others in the domestic market. The Doha Round is to enter the most critical phase in coming months, with specific commitments and targeted easing of trade barriers. Pakistan has been participating actively in talks being held at group levels to unlock the current impasse in negotiations. It should continuously reassess its position in light of post-Hong Kong developments, and evolve an overall strategy focusing on prioritise areas of interest, such as agriculture, market access in non-agriculture products, manpower services, and special treatment for developing economies. At this juncture, it would be advisable to intensify consultation with stakeholders as well as academicians and independent thinkers. The focus in each area should be on (i) what we are expected to offer, and (ii) what we should get in return. The analysis should be quantitative as well as qualitative and should be based on emerging scenarios. It is in Pakistan’s interest to align its laws, rules and regulations with WTO and international conventions and practices. This will help in improving both its image as well as its competitive position. Opportunities created by the Doha Talks will mainly be availed by those countries that have equipped themselves with new investment, technology and managerial inputs, innovative approaches and a competitive environment. Pakistan has much to do in this area. The firms and industry have a singular role to play. Some very legitimate concerns, relating to such areas as environment, poverty, economic disparity and food security, are being raised by the civil society organisations. These concerns should also be addressed while conducting negotiations.
Although the fundamentals of the world trading system will, by and large, remain unchanged, the conclusion of the Doha Round is likely to improve the rules of the game and expand the ‘level playing field.’ It will set greater responsibilities, challenges and opportunities for members. The relevance of WTO in global transactions and interaction will be enhanced. Nations that are preparing for the challenges, availing the expanding market opportunities and developing their competitive domestic environment stand a better chance to benefit from Doha results.
While negotiations and commitments under the Round are being conducted at the government level, business and industry will be the main actors. The competitiveness of a nation depends on the capacity of its industry and firms to continuously upgrade their production, processes, skills and management through investment and innovative approaches. The responsibility to avail the opportunities and face the challenges rests squarely on the government and the business community of Pakistan. Besides, researchers and academicians can play a catalytic role in this process through analysis of issues and research inputs. Greater interaction and intimate collaboration among these three groups can help in preparing the country to share in greater measure the gains of the newly emerging trading environment.
WTO. 1999. Legal Texts – The Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations . Geneva.
2005, December 18. Ministerial Declaration (Doha Work Programme). Adopted at the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference held in Hong Kong on December 13-18, 2005). (Available: wto/ English/ thewto_e/minist_e/min05_e/final_text_e. htm.)
Uddin, Fasih. 2007. “Pakistan’s Trade Potential in Services.” Policy Perspectives (Vol. 4, No. 1, January-June). Islamabad: Institute of Policy Studies.
The General Agreement on Tariff and Trade was signed by 23 countries, including Pakistan, in September 1947 and entered into force in January 1948.
The Swiss Formula is: AX /( A + X )= new tariff, where A is the coefficient that defines the maximum final tariff and X is the present tariff rate. A has to be agreed for developed and developing countries.
For details please refer to Uddin, 2007.
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