النظام التجاري في باكستان

النظام التجاري في باكستان
وقد شهد اقتصاد باكستان نموا مطردا على مدى العقود الماضية، وعلى الرغم من قلة البنية التحتية الضعيفة نسبيا، اتخذ البلد خطوات كبيرة لفتح اقتصاده للعالم الخارجي.
8 شباط / فبراير 1995.
ومثل. ومن المتوقع أن يؤدي تحرير الواردات إلى زيادة المنافسة بين الواردات والإنتاج المحلي والمساهمة في تخصيص موارد أكثر كفاءة وتطوير قطاع تصدير أكثر كفاءة، عودة إلى الأعلى.
وقد شهد اقتصاد باكستان نموا مطردا على مدى العقود الماضية، وعلى الرغم من قلة البنية التحتية الضعيفة نسبيا، اتخذ البلد خطوات كبيرة لفتح اقتصاده للعالم الخارجي. وقد تم تخفيض مستويات التعريفة الجمركية وتدابير الحماية غير التعريفية بشكل ملحوظ كما حدث في تدخل الدولة في التجارة، وفقا لتقرير صادر عن أمانة منظمة التجارة العالمية عن السياسات والممارسات التجارية في باكستان.
ويشمل برنامج باكستان للسياسات التجارية المتوسطة الأجل مزيدا من تحرير نظام التجارة والتبادل، وخلال الفترة 1994-1997، ينبغي تخفيض معدلات التعريفات الجمركية والضرائب الأخرى المفروضة على التجارة الدولية إلى حد كبير. & كوت؛ من المتوقع أن يؤدي تحرير الواردات إلى زيادة المنافسة بين الواردات والإنتاج المحلي والمساهمة في تخصيص موارد أكثر كفاءة وتطوير قطاع تصدير أكثر كفاءة، & كوت؛ وفقا للتقرير.
وعلى الرغم من التخفيضات الجمركية الأخيرة، لا تزال باكستان اقتصاد عالي التعريفة الجمركية. وفي الوقت الحاضر، يقول التقرير & كوت؛ المتوسط ​​البسيط لمعدلات الرسوم القانونية هو 50 في المائة، مع أعلى معدل تعريفي قياسي قدره 70 في المائة. وتصاعد التعريفات كبير في مجالات مثل الأغذية والمنسوجات والجلود والورق والبترول. وشاركت باكستان بنشاط في مفاوضات جولة أوروغواي بوصفها بلدا ناميا له اهتمام كبير جدا بقطاع المنسوجات والملابس. وفي حين لم يكن لدى البلد سوى عدد ضئيل جدا من الارتباطات الجمركية قبل جولة أوروغواي، فإن باكستان ملزمة الآن بتخصيص 33 في المائة من بنود التعريفة الجمركية و 81 في المائة من تعريفاتها على المنتجات الزراعية. وستبلغ أسعار معظم المنتجات الزراعية 100 في المائة. وفي القطاع الصناعي، ستلتزم باكستان بنسبة 25 في المائة من تعريفاتها، ومعظمها بحد أقصى يتراوح بين 40 و 50 في المائة. وفي نهاية تنفيذ برنامج إصلاح التعريفات المقرر عقده في عام 1997، من المتوقع أن يتحسن هيكل التعريفة ليس فقط لأن الضرائب المرتفعة التي لا تزال مرتفعة على التجارة الدولية ستنخفض، ولكن أيضا بسبب زيادة تبسيط هيكل التعريفات من خلال القضاء على معظم الإعفاءات الجمركية.
وفي حين أحرزت باكستان تقدما في إزالة الحواجز غير الجمركية أو تخفيضها أمام التجارة مثل متطلبات ترخيص الاستيراد، لا تزال هناك تدابير أخرى غير جمركية تنطبق على المنتجات التي يحظر استيرادها لأسباب دينية أو صحية أو أمنية أو لأسباب أخرى.
تم تخفيض نطاق تجارة الدولة بشكل كبير. ويقول التقرير إنه لا يوجد حاليا في شركة التجارة الباكستانية أي امتيازات تجارية حصرية أو خاصة ولكن شركة رايس ماركيت كوربوراتيون ومؤسسة تصدير القطن & كوت؛ لا تزال تتمتع ببعض المزايا الموروثة على منافسيها الخاصين، على الرغم من حقيقة أنها لا تتمتع بالحقوق الحصرية. & كوت؛ وتخضع صادرات القطن الخام والأرز لضرائب التصدير إما لأسباب تتعلق بالإيرادات أو لتكون مثبطا لتصدير المواد الخام. غير أن نطاق هذه الضرائب قد انخفض في السنوات الأخيرة.
وفي الختام، يشير التقرير إلى أن اقتصاد باكستان معرض للحواجز التجارية الخارجية وأن قطاع المنسوجات والملابس، وهو التصدير الرئيسي، يخضع لنظام تجاري مقيد - على شكل ترتيب متعدد الألياف - على مدى عقود. & كوت؛ دفعت باكستان ثمنا باهظا من حيث خسائر التصدير لهذا التقييد من الانضباط الغات. ولذلك فمن المهم جدا أن يتحمل الشركاء التجاريون في باكستان مسؤولياتهم & كوت؛ وتنفيذ نتائج جولة أوروغواي. ويقول التقرير انه من خلال اقامة بيئة تجارية مواتية، ستظل باكستان اكثر دوافع لمواصلة اصلاحها التجارى والتحرير الشامل.
ملاحظات للمحررين.
1 - ستناقش لجنة استعراض السياسات التجارية التابعة لمنظمة التجارة العالمية في 15 و 16 شباط / فبراير 1995 تقرير أمانة منظمة التجارة العالمية، إلى جانب تقرير أعدته حكومة باكستان، وستنقل عملية استعراض باكستان من برنامج التجارة لعام 1994 استعراض السياسات. وسيكون الاستعراض اجتماعا مشتركا بين اللجنة الفرعية المعنية بالتجارة من أجل السلام (تبرب) ومجلس الغات لعام 1947. وهذا هو أول استعراض لباكستان منذ بدء استعراضات السياسة التجارية في كانون الأول / ديسمبر 1989.
2- تجري هيئة استعراض السياسات التجارية التابعة لمنظمة التجارة العالمية تقييما جماعيا لمجموعة كاملة من السياسات والممارسات التجارية لكل عضو من أعضاء منظمة التجارة العالمية على فترات دورية منتظمة، وترصد الاتجاهات والتطورات الهامة التي قد يكون لها تأثير على النظام التجاري العالمي.
3 - وسينشر التقريران، بالإضافة إلى محضر للمناقشة التي تجريها اللجنة الاستشارية المعنية بالتجارة من أجل التنمية والتلخيص الذي أعده الرئيس، في الوقت المناسب باعتباره استعراض السياسة التجارية الكامل لباكستان، وسيتاحان من أمانة منظمة التجارة العالمية، ومركز ويليام، ورابارد، و 154 رو دي لوسان، 1211 جينيفا 21.
4 - وتغطي التقارير التطورات في جميع جوانب السياسات التجارية لباكستان، بما في ذلك القوانين والأنظمة المحلية، والإطار المؤسسي، والتطورات المتصلة بالتجارة في المجال النقدي والمالي، والممارسات التجارية حسب القياس والسياسات التجارية حسب القطاع. وترد في المرفق الملاحظات الموجزة الواردة في تقرير الأمانة. وستتاح تقارير كاملة للصحفيين من أمانة منظمة التجارة العالمية بناء على طلبهم.
5 - ومنذ كانون الأول / ديسمبر 1989، استكملت التقارير التالية: الأرجنتين (1992)، وأستراليا (1989 و 1994)، والنمسا (1992)، وبنغلاديش (1992)، وبوليفيا (1993)، والبرازيل (1992) ، كندا (1990 و 1992 و 1994) وشيلي (1991) وكولومبيا (1990) ومصر (1992) والجماعات الأوروبية (1991 و 1993) وفنلندا (1992) وغانا (1992) وهونغ كونغ (1990 (1994)، واندونيسيا (1991 و 1994)، واليابان (1990 و 1992)، وكينيا (1993)، وكوريا، وممثل عام 1992، وماكاو (1994)، وماليزيا (1993)، والمكسيك (1993)، والمغرب (1989)، ونيوزيلندا (1990)، ونيجيريا (1991)، والنرويج (1991)، وبيرو (1994)، والفلبين (1993) ، ورومانيا (1992)، والسنغال (1994)، وسنغافورة (1992)، وجنوب أفريقيا (1993)، والسويد (1990 و 1994)، وسويسرا (1991)، وتايلند (1991)، وتونس (1994)، وتركيا (1994) (1989 و 1992 و 1994) وأوروغواي (1992) وزمبابوي (1994).
هيئة استعراض السياسات التجارية: باكستان.
تقرير من الأمانة العامة & # 150؛ ملاحظات موجزة.
وقد شهد اقتصاد باكستان نموا مطردا على مدى العقود الماضية، على الرغم من قلة البنية التحتية الضعيفة نسبيا. ومع ذلك، ففي الثمانينيات، أدى عدد من نقاط الضعف الهيكلية إلى تقويض استدامة النمو وإلى زيادة تعرض باكستان للصدمات الخارجية. ولمعالجة هذه القيود وتحقيق نمو مستقر ومستدام مع الاستقرار المالي، بدأت باكستان برنامجا شاملا للإصلاح الاقتصادي الكلي والهيكلي، بما في ذلك تدابير لتحرير النشاط المحلي ونظام المدفوعات على حد سواء.
ومنذ اتخاذ هذا البرنامج، اتخذت باكستان خطوات هامة نحو زيادة الاعتماد على قوى السوق وفتح اقتصادها للعالم الخارجي. وقد انخفضت مستويات الحماية التعريفية وغير التعريفية وتدخل الدولة في التجارة بدرجة كبيرة. وهذا الاتجاه الجديد يتناقض تناقضا حادا مع السياسات الاقتصادية السابقة لباكستان، التي اتسمت باستبدال الواردات وتدخل الدولة على نطاق واسع في الحياة الاقتصادية.
وقد صاحب بداية عملية الإصلاح اختلالات داخلية وخارجية متزايدة. وازداد العجز المالي واتسعت السيولة المحلية، مما أسهم في ارتفاع التضخم. وأدت أزمة الشرق الأوسط في الفترة 1990-1991 إلى فرض ضغوط إضافية على موقف باكستان من الحساب الجاري الخارجي. وفي الفترة 1992/1993، تأثرت باكستان بالفيضانات والأمراض النباتية الواسعة الانتشار. وانخفض معدل نمو الناتج المحلي الإجمالي إلى 2،3 في المائة، واستقرت الصادرات، واتسع عجز الحساب الجاري إلى 7،1 في المائة من الناتج المحلي الإجمالي وانخفض إجمالي احتياطيات الصرف الرسمية إلى مستوى منخفض للغاية بحلول منتصف عام 1993. وفي الفترة 1993/1994، قامت باكستان، استجابة لاستمرار الاختلالات الداخلية والخارجية، بتكثيف إصلاحاتها المتوسطة الأجل (1993 / 94-1996 / 97) والإصلاحات الهيكلية. وتهدف هذه الأنشطة إلى استدامة النمو الاقتصادي السنوي بنحو 7،0 في المائة خلال الفترة 1993/1994 إلى 1996/1997؛ وخفض التضخم إلى 6 في المائة بحلول نهاية الفترة؛ ورفع الاحتياطيات الرسمية إلى أكثر من ثلاثة أشهر من الواردات؛ وتخفيف عبء الدين الداخلي والخارجي.
باكستان في التجارة العالمية.
وقد كانت مشاركة البلد في التجارة العالمية ضئيلة جدا (0،2 في المائة في عام 1992) نتيجة للسياسة التجارية الداخلية التي اتبعتها باكستان حتى وقت قريب. وبلغت حصة الصادرات السلعية من الناتج المحلي الإجمالي 13 في المائة في الفترة 1992/1993، بينما بلغت حصة الواردات السلعية 19 في المائة. وتشير معدلات التجارة داخل الصناعة المحسوبة للفترة 1990-1992 إلى انخفاض وانخفاض حتى مستوى إيت، مما يعكس مرة أخرى الطبيعة المعزولة والمحمية للاقتصاد الباكستاني.
ومن السمات الخاصة لصادرات باكستان الاعتماد الشديد على المنتجات المنتمية إلى مجموعة القطن. وتمثل الصناعات القطنية والقطنية نحو 60 في المائة من صادرات البضائع. وتشمل الصادرات الهامة الأخرى المنتجات الجلدية والأرز والأسماك والسجاد. وقد جعل هيكل الصادرات المرآز بدرجة كبيرة تجارة البلد عرضة للتشوهات والقيود الخارجية، ولا سيما القيود التي تفرضها وزارة الزراعة. وتعتبر المواد الكيميائية والمواد البترولية والمنتجات البترولية ومعدات النقل والزيوت الصالحة للأكل أهم بنود الاستيراد؛ منذ عام 1980، ارتفعت حصة الآلات ومنتجات السيارات، وأجهزة الاتصالات وآلات المكاتب بسرعة.
أكبر شريك تجاري لباكستان في كل من الصادرات والواردات هو الاتحاد الأوروبي، مع حصة من ما يقرب من 30 في المائة، تليها الولايات المتحدة واليابان وهونغ كونغ. وقد ازدادت حصص أمريكا الشمالية وآسيا في الصادرات في السنوات الأخيرة، في حين انخفضت حصص دول أوروبا الشرقية وجمهوريات الاتحاد السوفياتي السابق والشرق الأوسط. وفي السنوات القليلة الماضية، ارتفعت حصص الواردات من آسيا والشرق الأوسط، في حين انخفضت حصص واردات أمريكا الشمالية.
جمهورية باكستان الإسلامية لديها هيكل فيدرالي يتألف من أربع مقاطعات، العاصمة الاتحادية و & كوت؛ المناطق القبلية & كوت؛ تحت الإدارة الاتحادية. وباكستان هي ديمقراطية برلمانية بموجب دستورها لعام 1973. والرئيس، الذي يجب أن يكون مسلما، هو رئيس الدولة ويمثل وحدة الجمهورية؛ يتم انتخابه في جلسة مشتركة للمجلس التشريعي الاتحادي لمدة خمس سنوات.
وتتألف الهيئة التشريعية الاتحادية من مجلس أدنى وأعلى. ويضم مجلس النواب، وهو الجمعية الوطنية، 307 أعضاء ينتخبون مباشرة بالإضافة إلى عشرة أعضاء يمثلون الأقليات؛ تكون مدة الانتخاب خمس سنوات. ويضم مجلس الشيوخ 87 عضوا يعملون لمدة ست سنوات. وتخضع المسائل المدرجة في القائمة التشريعية الاتحادية للسلطة الحصرية للمجلس التشريعي الاتحادي. وفيما يتعلق بالمسائل المتعلقة بالقائمة التشريعية المتزامنة، يحق لكل من الهيئة التشريعية الاتحادية ومجالس المقاطعات إصدار تشريعات. أما المسائل التي لم يرد ذكرها في أي من القائمتين، فقد تخضع للقوانين التي تصدر عن مجلس المقاطعات؛ ومع ذلك، كلما كان أي حكم من أحكام جمعية مؤقتة يتعارض مع قانون برلماني، فإن الأحكام ذات الصلة من قانون الجمعية الإقليمية باطلة. وتفهم الأمانة أن المسائل التجارية تخضع للسلطة التشريعية للهيئة التشريعية الاتحادية. ويجب أن تنشأ فواتير المال في الجمعية الوطنية؛ قد تنشأ فواتير أخرى في أي من المجلسين التشريعيين الاتحاديين. ويجب أن يعتمد مشروع القانون كلا المجلسين ثم يوافق عليه الرئيس. ومجلس المصالح المشتركة، المسؤول أمام الهيئة التشريعية الاتحادية، يوفر محفلا لاتخاذ قرار بشأن المسائل ذات الاهتمام المشترك لكل من المقاطعات والسلطات الاتحادية.
ويتم انتخاب رئيس الوزراء، الذي هو رئيس الحكومة الاتحادية، من قبل الجمعية الوطنية. وتقع صياغة السياسة التجارية تحت السلطة الحصرية للحكومة الاتحادية. وتتولى وزارة التجارة، داخل الحكومة، مسؤولية جميع مسائل السياسة التجارية. وتنفيذ السياسة التجارية، خارج وزارة التجارة، هو مهمة المجلس المركزي للإيرادات والجمارك. وتشمل الوكالات الأخرى ذات الصلاحيات المتصلة بالتجارة وزارتي المالية والشؤون الاقتصادية؛ الأغذية والزراعة والتعاونيات؛ الصناعات. البترول والموارد الطبيعية؛ التخطيط والتنمية؛ مصرف الدولة في باكستان؛ ومعهد المعايير الباكستاني.
وتتمتع السلطات بسلطات تقديرية واسعة النطاق، ولا سيما في المسائل المتعلقة بالتعريفة والضرائب، حيث يمنح عدد من القرارات الإدارية استثناءات وتنازلات من القواعد العامة فيما يتعلق بعدد من البنود أو التجار.
المجلس الاقتصادي الوطني (نيك)، برئاسة رئيس الوزراء، هو الهيئة العليا لصنع السياسة الاقتصادية. وتقوم اللجنة الوطنية للانتخابات بمراجعة الأوضاع الاقتصادية العامة وتوافق على جميع الخطط الاقتصادية والاجتماعية الرئيسية. وتتناول لجنة التنسيق الاقتصادي التابعة لمجلس الوزراء، التي يرأسها وزير المالية الاتحادي، المسائل اليومية وتنسق السياسات الاقتصادية التي تباشرها الوكالات الحكومية.
وتقدم اللجنة الوطنية للتعريفة المشورة إلى الحكومة بشأن الحماية التعريفية وغيرها من أشكال المساعدة. ومن أجل التفاعل مع الوزارات الأخرى والقطاع الخاص في مسائل السياسة التجارية، أنشأت وزارة التجارة مجلسا استشاريا يمثل القطاع الخاص اتحاد الغرف التجارية والصناعية في باكستان واتحادات الغرف الإقليمية. وفي باكستان، يجب أن يكون جميع المستوردين والمصدرين أعضاء في رابطة مهنية أو تجارية أو صناعية.
ميزات السياسة التجارية والاتجاهات.
وتحدد سياسات باكستان الاقتصادية والتجارية في خططها الإرشادية الخمسية. وتحدد الخطة الثامنة الحالية (1993-1998) نموا سنويا متوسطا في الناتج المحلي الإجمالي الحقيقي بنسبة 7 في المائة، مع زيادة سنوية متوسطة في حجم الصادرات تبلغ 11 في المائة تقريبا، ولا سيما في منتجات المنسوجات ذات القيمة المضافة الأعلى والسلع الهندسية الخفيفة والمتوسطة، والرياضة، والسلع الجراحية. ومن الأهداف الأخرى للخطة الحد من نمو الواردات إلى 5 في المائة سنويا بالقيمة الحقيقية وما يترتب على ذلك من تخفيض عجز الحساب الجاري من 4،2 في المائة من الناتج المحلي الإجمالي في 1992/1993 إلى 2،4 في المائة في 1997/1998. وتتوقع السلطات أن يتحقق ذلك، في جملة أمور، بزيادة الإنتاج المحلي للسلع الاستهلاكية. ولا بد من الحرص على أن تتحقق الأهداف من قوى السوق بدلا من الوسائل الإدارية، بما في ذلك التدابير الحدودية.
ويشمل برنامج باكستان للسياسات التجارية المتوسطة الأجل المزيد من تحرير نظام التجارة والتبادل. وفي إطار إصلاح تعريفات مدته ثلاث سنوات (1994/1997)، سيتم تخفيض معدلات التعريفات الجمركية والضرائب الأخرى المفروضة على التجارة الدولية إلى حد كبير، كما سيتم تخفيض عدد المنتجات المدرجة في القائمة السلبية. ومن المتوقع أن يؤدي تحرير الواردات إلى زيادة المنافسة بين الواردات والإنتاج المحلي، وأن يسهم في زيادة كفاءة تخصيص الموارد وتطوير قطاع تصدير أكثر كفاءة.
وباكستان ليست عضوا في أي اتفاقات للتجارة الحرة. يتم تطبيق التعريفات بشكل حصري تقريبا على m. f.n. على الرغم من أن التفضيلات تمتد على عدد صغير نسبيا من المنتجات لبعض البلدان النامية في إطار بروتوكول الغات المتعلق بالمفاوضات التجارية فيما بين البلدان النامية. تجدر الاشارة الى ان باكستان، مع ايران وتركيا، عضو فى منظمة التعاون الاقتصادى وتمنح خفضا بنسبة 10 فى المائة فى 16 منتجا.
ويعطي الاتحاد الأوروبي و 15 شريكا تجاريا آخرين معاملة تعريفة نظام الأفضليات المعمم لصادرات باكستان. وفي 1992/1993، تلقت 43 في المائة من صادرات باكستان معاملة تفضيلية في إطار مخططات نظام الأفضليات المعمم. وفي هذا الصدد، تعتبر المنسوجات والملابس من أكثر المناطق حساسية في نظام الأفضليات المعمم، التي تستبعد كليا أو جزئيا في عدد من البلدان.
وقد اعترفت باكستان بأن الحماية العالية الممنوحة للاقتصاد المحلي قد عرقلت البلد من المنافسة الأجنبية، وأوجدت تحيزا قويا مناهضا للتصدير في تخصيص الموارد وزادت من عدم الكفاءة والهدر وتدهور الجودة. ونتيجة لذلك، ظل هيكل الصادرات في باكستان أكثر تركيزا على عدد صغير من المنتجات القائمة على الزراعة؛ في مجالات المنتجات أكثر تطورا كان هيكل الصادرات في البلاد غير قادرة على المنافسة دوليا.
وتشمل الإصلاحات الأخيرة المتصلة بالتجارة تخفيض القائمة السلبية من 300 إلى 75 بندا بين عامي 1988 و 1994؛ خفض معدل التعريفة القانونية المتوسطة من 77 إلى 50 في المائة مع تخفيض آخر إلى حد أقصى قدره 35 في المائة بحلول عام 1997؛ دمج & كوت؛ التعريفات الجزئية & كوت؛ في معدل التعريفة الموحد بحلول منتصف عام 1994؛ وتلا ذلك إلغاء ترخيص الاستيراد والقائمة المقيدة؛ وتحرير سياسة الاستثمار الأجنبي، وإلغاء الترخيص الصناعي.
وكانت باكستان مشاركا نشطا في جولة أوروغواي، بهدف رئيسي هو تعزيز النظام التجاري المتعدد الأطراف، والتخلص التدريجي من الترتيبات المتعددة الأطراف، وإدماج قطاع المنسوجات والملابس في مجموعة "غات"، وجعل الزراعة تخضع بالكامل لتخصصات مجموعة "غات" والمعاملة التفاضلية للبلدان النامية، ووضع "اتفاق عادل للتجارة في الخدمات & كوت؛. وجدت باكستان نتائج جولة أوروغواي & كوت؛ تثبيط & كوت؛ ويرجع ذلك أساسا إلى انخفاض التعريفات الجمركية إلى أقل من المتوسط ​​في مناطق المنتجات التصديرية الرئيسية، وبطء سرعة إدماج قطاع الغزل والنسيج في الغات.
نوع ونوع أدوات السياسة التجارية.
وعلى الرغم من التخفيضات الكبيرة في التعريفات الجمركية في السنوات الأخيرة، لا تزال باكستان اقتصاد عالي التعريفة الجمركية. وفي الوقت الراهن، يبلغ المتوسط ​​البسيط لمعدلات الرسوم القانونية 50 في المائة مع أعلى معدل تعريفي قياسي يبلغ 70 في المائة. وتصاعد التعريفات كبير في مجالات مثل الأغذية والمنسوجات والجلود والورق والبترول.
وفي سنة الميزانية 1994/1995، أدرجت رسوم الاستيراد البالغة 6 في المائة، ورسوم رسوم الإقامة البالغة 5 في المائة والرسوم التنظيمية في تعريفة جمركية واحدة. ومع ذلك، فإن نظام التعريفات لا يزال غير شفاف، حيث أن هناك استثناءات عديدة ومحددة زمنيا، وتطبق امتيازات بموجب نظام الأوامر التنظيمية الخاصة (S. R.Os). ونتيجة لذلك، كثيرا ما تطبق معدلات مختلفة على نفس المنتج وتكون المعدلات المطبقة أقل بكثير من الواجبات القانونية. ومن المتوقع أن يؤدي برنامج إصلاح التعريفات، الذي سينفذ بين عامي 1994 و 1997، إلى تحسين هيكل التعريفات ليس فقط من خلال خفض الضرائب المرتفعة التي لا تزال مرتفعة على التجارة الدولية، بل أيضا من خلال زيادة تبسيط هيكل التعريفات من خلال إلغاء معظم الإعفاءات والتسهيلات الجمركية.
ولم يكن لدى باكستان سوى عدد قليل جدا من الارتباطات الجمركية قبل جولة أوروغواي. وفي إطار جولة أوروغواي، يتعين على البلد أن يلتزم بنسبة 33 في المائة من بنود التعريفة الجمركية، و 81 في المائة من تعريفاته في فصول النظام المنسق 1-24 (94 في المائة من المنتجات الزراعية على النحو المحدد في جولة أوروغواي) و 25 في المائة من التعريفات في الفصول 25-97.
لم توقع باكستان على قانون تقييم جمارك جولة طوكيو، نظرا لصعوباتها المتصورة في تنفيذ & كوت؛ قيمة الصفقة & كوت؛ ومفهوم المدونة في الظروف التي يشكل فيها الفوترة الكاذبة والغش على الواردات مشكلة خطيرة. ويتم تقييم السلع المستوردة من خلال مقارنة القيم المعلنة مع الأسعار المنشورة بانتظام في دليل التقييم الرسمي؛ يمكن أن يؤدي ذلك إلى تعقيد إجراءات التخليص الجمركي ويؤدي إلى انعدام الشفافية وإلى قدر أكبر من السلطة التقديرية الإدارية في النظام. والتهريب كبير، ويرجع ذلك جزئيا إلى ارتفاع التعريفات الجمركية. ومن المتوقع أن يؤدي تنفيذ إصلاحات التعريفات إلى انخفاض هذا النشاط غير المشروع. وباكستان، بقبولها نتائج جولة أوروغواي، ملتزمة باعتماد أساليب التقييم المحددة في الاتفاق.
وحتى وقت قريب، كان الحظر المفروض على الواردات وترخيص الاستيراد وغير ذلك من التدابير غير التعريفية يستخدم على نطاق واسع لمراقبة تدفقات الواردات. وفي السنوات القليلة الماضية، أحرزت باكستان تقدما كبيرا في إزالة الحواجز غير الجمركية أو الحد منها أمام التجارة. وخفض عدد التعريفات المدرجة في القائمة السلبية من 300 إلى 75 (يحظر استيرادها، ما لم يؤذن على وجه التحديد).
وقد خفض نطاق ترخيص الاستيراد ثم ألغي تماما في عام 1993. كما ألغى أمر سياسة الاستيراد لعام 1994 القائمة المقيدة، وهي المنتجات التي لا يمكن استيرادها إلا من خلال المستوردين المعينين. وحتى منتصف عام 1994، كانت بعض المنتجات (الجرارات الزراعية وبعض المركبات في حالة مصرف الاتحاد المركزي) تخضع لمتطلبات التقييس، مما يعني أن بعض المنتجات المحددة فقط كانت قابلة للاستيراد؛ كما ألغي هذا التقييد، وكذلك حصص الاستيراد على الآلات والمصنوعات.
بيد أن باكستان لا تزال تطبق عددا كبيرا من التدابير غير التعريفية. ولا تشمل القائمة السلبية المنتجات التي يحظر استيرادها لأسباب دينية أو صحية أو متعلقة بالسلامة فحسب، بل تشمل أيضا سلع مثل المنسوجات والملابس التي تقيدها السلطات، وذلك لأسباب تتعلق بميزان المدفوعات. ووفقا للسلطات الباكستانية، يمكن استيراد الأصناف المدرجة في القائمة السلبية من حيث الأحكام ذات الصلة من أمر سياسة الاستيراد. غير أن الأمانة العامة ليست على بينة من ممارسات البلد في هذا الصدد، وليس من الواضح، نظرا إلى إلغاء ترخيص الاستيراد، ما هي الأدوات المستخدمة في الإذن باستيراد الأصناف المدرجة في القائمة السلبية. وتشمل التدابير غير التعريفية الأخرى المطبقة على الواردات مختلف المتطلبات المتعلقة بالصحة والسلامة والإجرائية، وهي دوافع أساسا بسبب الاعتبارات المتعلقة بالسلامة والصحة والأمن. يحظر جميع الواردات من الهند، إلا إذا أذن بها تشريعات محددة.
وقد انخفض نطاق تجارة الدولة بدرجة كبيرة. حاليا شركة التداول في باكستان، لا يبدو أن لديها أي امتيازات تجارية حصرية أو خاصة. ومع ذلك، فإن شركة رايس ماركيت كوربوراتيون ومؤسسة تصدير القطن المملوكة للدولة لا تزال تتمتع ببعض المزايا الموروثة على منافسيها الخاصين، على الرغم من أنهم لا يتمتعون بحقوق تجارية حصرية.
ولا تعرف الأمانة العامة سياسات وممارسات المشتريات الحكومية في باكستان. فالقواعد السارية ذات الصلة تؤيد بوضوح المصادر المحلية على المصادر الأجنبية. بيد أن السلطات ذكرت أن هذه الممارسة قد تغيرت مؤخرا ولم يتم إعطاء أي تفضيلات للإنتاج المحلي.
وتبذل باكستان جهودا لوضع معاييرها على المعايير الدولية. والمعايير الوطنية بشأن عدد قليل من البنود أقل شأنا من المعايير الدولية بسبب عدم توفر التكنولوجيا المطلوبة محليا. ولا يبدو أن المعايير الباكستانية تشكل عائقا رئيسيا أمام التجارة.
وهناك عدد من المنتجات التصديرية التنافسية الرئيسية في البلد، مثل القطن الخام والأرز، تخضع لضرائب التصدير إما لأسباب تتعلق بالإيرادات أو لتكون مثبطة لتصدير المواد الخام. غير أن نطاق هذه الضرائب قد انخفض في السنوات الأخيرة. بعض المنتجات الزراعية تحمل قيود التصدير، لضمان إمدادات داخلية كافية. وتخضع صادرات المنسوجات والملابس إلى البلدان التي أبرمت معها باكستان اتفاقا للضبط الثنائي في إطار وزارة الزراعة، لحصص التصدير.
وتوفر باكستان حوافز تصديرية تتمثل أساسا في شكل تعويضات للصادرات عن طريق العمل والامتيازات الضريبية، والوضع المعفى من الرسوم الجمركية، ومناطق تجهيز الصادرات، والتخزين المستعبدين. ويعتبر تحرير الواردات الوسيلة الرئيسية لتعزيز الصادرات وتنويع هيكل المنتجات. ويستفيد حوالي نصف صادرات باكستان من الائتمانات الميسرة؛ على الرغم من أن الدعم الحكومي غير متضمنا، فإن نظام تمويل الصادرات مصمم بطريقة تضع عبء هذه الائتمانات على القطاع غير التصديري. كما تتوفر إعفاءات ضريبية على الدخل الناتج من الصادرات على نطاق واسع.
وخلال العقود الأربعة الأولى من تاريخ باكستان، تم تمويل التصنيع الذي يحل محل الواردات من الموارد المحولة من الزراعة. وظلت الأسعار المحلية للمواد الخام الزراعية والمواد الغذائية منخفضة، وتلقى سكان المناطق الحضرية إعانات سخية. في السنوات الأخيرة، تم تخفيض درجة تدخل الدولة، وقد جلبت أسعار الزراعية أقرب إلى العالم.
وانخفضت مستويات السوق وتحويل الإيرادات من الزراعة إلى الصناعة. ومع ذلك، تشير الحسابات المتوفرة لدعم إعانات المنتجين، استنادا إلى بيانات 1986-90، إلى أن أسعار السوق كانت سلبية بالنسبة إلى المحاصيل التصديرية الرئيسية في باكستان مثل القطن وأرز البسمتي. وأظهرت هذه الحقيقة أن السياسات الحكومية لا تزال متحيزة ضد الزراعة؛ فإن إعانات المدخلات للمنتجين الزراعيين قد قابلها تأثير الضرائب على أدوات السياسات الأخرى المتصلة بالزراعة. وتشمل الأهداف الرئيسية للسياسة الزراعية الوطنية، المعتمدة في أيار / مايو 1991، إقامة العدالة الاجتماعية والاعتماد على الذات وتوجيه الصادرات والاستدامة وتعزيز الإنتاجية.
وتولي باكستان اهتماما خاصا للتصنيع. وتولي الحكومة أهمية للاستثمار الخاص في صناعات التكنولوجيا العالية والقيمة المضافة والتصدير؛ ويشمل دعم التنمية الصناعية امتيازات ضريبية، والإعفاء من الرسوم الجمركية، والاستيراد، والحوافز النقدية. تطوير الصناعات الهندسية يدعمها غير إلزامي & كوت؛ الحذف & كوت؛ مع وجود حوافز لتشجيع المحتوى المحلي؛ وبمجرد أن يوافق منظم الأعمال على برنامج الحذف، يمكن فرض عقوبات مالية على عدم الامتثال.
وقد تغيرت السياسات التي تؤثر على الصناعة تغيرا كبيرا منذ عام 1988. وتمت خصخصة أكثر من 100 مؤسسة، كما خفضت درجة تدخل الدولة في المسائل الصناعية. وقد ألغي الترخيص الصناعي، إلا في عدد قليل من القطاعات وأصبحت سياسة الاستثمار الأجنبي أكثر ليبرالية. وقد تضاءل عزل الصناعة الباكستانية عن بقية العالم، ولكن الصناعة لا تزال محمية بسبب التعريفات العالية وبعض التدابير الأخرى.
وعلى الرغم من أن تشريع باكستان يأذن بمهام مكافحة الإغراق أو الرسوم التعويضية، لم تفرض أي تدابير من هذا القبيل. وحتى الآن، استعرضت اللجنة طلبا واحدا فقط بشأن إجراءات مكافحة الإغراق، بشأن واردات الجوت من بنغلاديش. [ومن المحتمل أن يؤدي التنفيذ الكامل لبرنامج الإصلاح التعريفي وتحرير التجارة الحالي إلى تعريض عدد من المنتجين المحليين للمنافسة الخارجية؛ التي قد تؤدي إلى زيادة عدد الطلبات المتعلقة بإجراءات مكافحة الإغراق أو التعويضية. وباكستان من الدول الموقعة على قانون مكافحة الإغراق والإعانات. وباكستان ليس لديها تشريعات حماية منفصلة ولم تتخذ قط إجراءات حماية.
وقد كثفت حكومة باكستان مؤخرا إصلاح نظامها التجاري بهدف تعزيز فعاليتها وقدراتها التصديرية من خلال زيادة التوجه نحو السوق والتنافس مع السلع والخدمات الأجنبية. وكما لوحظ، فقد أدمجت التدابير شبه التعريفية في الرسوم الجمركية، وفي نهاية تنفيذ برنامج إصلاح التعريفات الجمركية في عام 1997، ستنخفض أعلى معدلات التعريفة الجمركية إلى 35 في المائة وستلغى تدريجيا معظم الامتيازات والإعفاءات الجمركية . ومن المتوقع أيضا أن يتم تخفيض عدد البنود المدرجة في القائمة السلبية بشكل كبير.
سياسات التجارة وشركاء التجارة الخارجية.
وقد قامت باكستان، ببرنامجها الشامل للإصلاح الاقتصادي الكلي والهيكلي الذي أدخل منذ عام 1988، باتخاذ أولى الخطوات الهامة نحو عكس سياسات البلد الانعزالية المتجهة إلى الداخل والاندماج في الاقتصاد العالمي. وستؤدي هذه الإصلاحات، إذا نفذت على نحو متسق، مصحوبة بتدابير اقتصادية كلية واجتماعية ملائمة، إلى زيادة كفاءة تخصيص الموارد وتنويع التنمية الاقتصادية وزيادة القدرة التنافسية للاقتصاد الباكستاني في الأسواق المحلية والأجنبية على السواء.
وتطبق التدابير التجارية الباكستانية أساسا على أساس غير تمييزي؛ ووقعت على رموز جولة طوكيو باستثناء التقييم الجمركي ورموز المشتريات الحكومية. وفي إطار جولة أوروغواي، قبلت باكستان جميع الاتفاقات التجارية المتعددة الأطراف؛ بيد أن انخفاض نسبة التعريفات الجمركية التي تقيدها باكستان، حتى بعد جولة أوروغواي، يشير إلى أن اندماجها المتزايد في النظام التجاري الجاري حاليا سيظل تدريجيا.
وباكستان بلد نام يتعرض اقتصاده للحواجز التجارية الخارجية. ومن السمات الخاصة لاقتصاد باكستان أن مجموعة منتجاتها التصديرية الرئيسية، والمنسوجات والملابس، تخضع لقيود تجارية تقييدية لعقود. وقد دفعت باكستان ثمنا باهظا من حيث خسائر التصدير لهذا التقييد من الانضباط في الاتفاق العام بشأن التعريفات الجمركية والتجارة (غات). ولهذا السبب، تهتم باكستان اهتماما كبيرا بإدماج قطاع النسيج، حيث أن فرص التصدير في هذا المجال المنتج لها تأثير مباشر وكبير على النمو الاقتصادي للبلد. ولذلك من المهم جدا أن يضطلع الشركاء التجاريون لباكستان بمسؤولياتهم من خلال التصديق على نتائج جولة أوروغواي وتنفيذها بصورة متسقة، وذلك في تهيئة بيئة تجارية مؤاتية تحفز باكستان على مواصلة وتعميق إصلاحها التجاري وتحريرها.
هيئة استعراض السياسات التجارية: باكستان.
تقرير من الحكومة.
وقد صيغت السياسة التجارية لباكستان بهدف تحقيق أقصى قدر من المكاسب من التجارة الدولية من خلال تشجيع التجارة الحرة في سياق نظام تجاري عالمي متعدد الأطراف، وتشجيع أنشطة الإنتاج المحلي الكفؤ والمنافس. وستساهم بيئة التجارة والإنتاج الحرة والمنافسة في التنمية الاقتصادية والاجتماعية لباكستان. وتحقيقا لهذه الغاية، نفذت الحكومة تحررا مستفيضا للنظام التجاري. وعلى مدى السنوات الست الماضية، استعيض عن الحواجز غير الجمركية بتعريفات جمركية؛ خفض الحد الأقصى للتعريفات إلى 70 في المائة مع استثناءات قليلة؛ تم ترشيد هيكل التعريفات بهدف الحد من أوجه التفاوت في الحماية الفعالة؛ وتم دمج جميع "الرسوم الأخرى" في نظام التعريفات القانونية؛ استوردت جميع الأصناف باستثناء عدد قليل من الأشخاص الذين يقتصر دخولهم على الاعتبارات الدينية والصحية والأمنية، أو بسبب صعوبات ميزان المدفوعات.
واستكمالا لتحرير نظام التجارة، تم تحرير نظام التبادل بالكامل. واعتبارا من 1 يوليو 1994، اعتمدت باكستان تحويل الحساب الجاري للروبية وألغت جميع ممارسات العملات المتعددة. وبناء على ذلك، قبلت باكستان وفاء بالتزامات المادة الثامنة من مواد اتفاقية صندوق النقد الدولي.
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. عودة إلى الأعلى.

Doing business in Pakistan: Pakistan trade and export guide.
Updated 25 June 2018.
© كراون كوبيرايت 2018.
هذا المنشور مرخص بموجب شروط ترخيص الحكومة المفتوحة v3.0 إلا إذا ذكر خلاف ذلك. لعرض هذا الترخيص، يرجى زيارة الموقع الوطنيarcharch. gov. uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 أو الكتابة إلى فريق سياسة المعلومات أو الأرشيف الوطني أو كيو أو لندن TW9 4DU أو البريد الإلكتروني: psi@nationalarchives. gsi. gov. uk.
حيث قمنا بتحديد أي معلومات حقوق الطبع والنشر من طرف ثالث سوف تحتاج إلى الحصول على إذن من أصحاب حقوق الطبع والنشر المعنية.
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.
Contact UK Export Finance (UKEF) about trade finance and insurance cover for UK companies. 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.
يجب عليك التأكد من اتخاذ الخطوات اللازمة للامتثال لمتطلبات قانون الرشوة في المملكة المتحدة.
3. إمكانات النمو.
3-1 النمو الاقتصادي.
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 - اعتبارات البدء.
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 - الاعتبارات القانونية.
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 المعايير واللوائح الفنية.
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 - الاعتبارات الضريبية والجمركية.
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.
يمكنك العثور على مزيد من المعلومات حول التعريفات الجمركية على الواردات في قاعدة بيانات الوصول إلى الأسواق.
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 - جهات الاتصال.
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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Online Trading at PSX with Web Trading Terminal of ZSL.
ZSL Web Trading Terminal has a lot of functions and features. Here, only a web browser is required to monitor current Pakistan Stock Exchange market and statistics in real-time, and to place orders. Client online trading reports are also available over the Internet. On this page, we have provided a pictorial view of the different screens and features list.
Trading Software Feature For Stock Broker.
Web Based Trading System gives user the ability of trading in real time only using his browser. It provides the user with the functionalities like placement of orders, cancellation or modification of orders, viewing his order status, transactions history, margin position and portfolio and custody positions. Karachi Stock Exchange live rates are updated in real-time and does not requires user to refresh the page.
Real Time Stock Market Analysis.
Real Time Market Watch shows current buy and sell market positions for each symbol. Each row shows current market statistics for a particular symbol in a particular market. Real Time Market Watch is a power full view, which updates the best market and symbol statistics itself. There is no need to click or push any button or link to get the update. User can simply input required symbols in the Symbol box and it automatically gets its current buy and sells position. It saves the last Symbol list which user enters in the Symbol box and shows them when the user visits the site again.
About Zafar Securities Pvt Ltd.
Zafar Securities (Pvt) Ltd. incorporated in 1999, is a licensed Trading Right Member of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (Karachi Stock Exchange). We are one of the leading stock exchange and commodity brokerage houses in Pakistan with a client network spread all over the country.

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.
Economy.
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.
تصنيع.
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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