Overview
- Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan convened a high-level meeting in Islamabad with leading textile associations to address export bottlenecks.
- On the prime minister’s directions, a technical committee was constituted to review Export Facilitation Scheme hurdles, with emphasis on the limited utilisation period and immediate fixes.
- Exporters reported pressures from upfront taxes, elevated electricity and gas tariffs, delayed refunds, reduced temporary importation utilisation periods, and tight Export Finance Scheme limits.
- MSME representatives sought State Bank and EXIM Bank guidance to ensure foreign master LCs are uniformly accepted as collateral for back-to-back LCs, aiming to ease working-capital access.
- The ministry invited a consolidated set of proposals from industry to be grouped into immediate, budget-linked, and structural reforms, as the minister reaffirmed support and urged a pivot to new markets and higher-value products.