{
  "id": 5282559,
  "title": "PM to chair new Trade Facilitation Board",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/pm-to-chair-new-trade-facilitation-board",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-03T08:01:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40437760/pm-to-chair-new-trade-facilitation-board"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has authorized the creation of the Trade Facilitation Board, underscoring the government's renewed emphasis on trade facilitation. This decision emerged from a recent gathering in Islamabad, presided over by the Prime Minister, to deliberate on trade facilitation matters, as per an official statement. The Trade Facilitation Board will shoulder responsibility for making determinations on non-tariff elements concerning cross-border trade and enhancing the entire supply chain. A pivotal role of this board will be the formulation of a roadmap aimed at promoting trade, as well as devising strategies related to the Trade Facilitation Index and its monitoring.\n\nFurthermore, the Prime Minister has mandated the swift augmentation of the country's port capabilities and the formation of various working groups to tackle issues such as improving port capacity, promoting departmental coordination, ensuring compliance with the regulatory framework, facilitating pre-arrival clearance, and integrating small and medium-sized enterprises into international trade. The Prime Minister also instructed authorities to streamline the procedures related to goods delivery, clearance, and other aspects at ports for the convenience of importers and exporters, aiming to furnish maximum facilities.\n\nThe briefing communicated during the meeting indicated that port charges have been decreased as part of ongoing reforms, resulting in a substantial increase in port utilization. Additionally, there has been a continuous rise in the efficiency of submitting goods declarations prior to a ship's arrival, reflecting the positive impact of these reforms.",
  "summary": "Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday approved the establishment of the Trade Facilitation Board, indicating that the government is giving trade facilitation greater institutional priority. The development came during a meeting held in Islamabad, chaired by PM Shehbaz, regarding trade facilitation, according to a statement. PM Shehbaz will chair the Trade Facilitation Board, which will make…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}