ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to send a high-level delegation to the United States to promote trade relations and hold negotiations on the newly imposed tariffs that has been imposed on goods the US imports from Pakistan, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Wednesday.
Last week, the US imposed heavy tariffs on several countries. Pakistan was hit by a 29 percent tariff on goods it exports to the US.
Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office in a press release stated that the decision to send a delegation was made during a review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Wednesday to discuss the trade tariff imposed by the US. The meeting discussed ways to increase national exports and the strategy to deal with new tariffs imposed by the United States on imports.
Prominent business figures and exporters will also be included in the delegation which would depart to Washington soon.
“On the directives of the prime minister, the delegation will also include renowned business persons and exporters,” the statement said, without specifying which government officials would be part of the team.
The delegation has been tasked by the Prime Minister to devise a mutually beneficial future strategy after negotiations with the US on the newly imposed import tariffs.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ali Pervaiz Malik, PM’s Adviser Syed Tauqir Shah, Special Assistants Tariq Fatemi and Haroon Akhtar, other senior officials attended the meeting.
While addressing the meeting, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan’s trade relations with the United States span many decades.
He said the government seeks to further strengthen its trade partnership with the United States.
During the meeting, the Steering Committee and Working Group’s report on the newly imposed tariffs by the US, along with the proposed future plan was presented for review.
Various alternative strategies were also presented during the meeting which were also reviewed.
The meeting was informed that the Embassy of Pakistan in the United States is in continuous contact with the US government on the matter.
The Prime Minister instructed that during the formation of the delegation for talks with the United States, the inclusion of renowned business leaders and exporters must be ensured.
Meanwhile, a US official conveyed the interest of US companies to invest in the country’s mineral sector.
A US delegation led by Eric Meyer, a senior bureau official (SBO) for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the US State Department, met with PM Shehbaz in Islamabad today.
