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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday unveiled a draft National Tariff Policy 2025-30 at a regulatory reforms conference, aiming to shift the country toward an export-led growth model by overhauling its trade tariff structure to boost industrial productivity, investment and competitiveness.

The event was organized by the Board of Investment (BoI), and attended by senior government officials, diplomats and private sector representatives.

The policy sets out sweeping reforms, including the phasing out of Additional Customs Duties (ACDs) within four years, elimination of Regulatory Duties (RDs) and the 5th Schedule within five years, and the creation of a simplified four-tier Customs Duty structure of 0 percent, 5 percent, 10 percent and 15 percent.

Key sectors expected to benefit include textiles, engineering, pharmaceuticals and information technology, with the policy designed to lower production costs and attract businesses.

“The National Tariff Policy 2025-30 is designed to create a predictable, transparent and investment-friendly tariff structure,” said Rana Ihsaan Afzal, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Commerce, at the conference.

“By facilitating duty-free access to raw materials, phasing out ACDs and RDs and supporting nascent and green industries, this policy paves the way for innovation, employment generation and sustained economic growth.”

Afzal said implementation will begin with tariff reductions on approximately 7,000 tariff lines, mainly raw materials and intermediate goods, expected to deliver an estimated Rs200 billion ($700 million) in benefits to trade and industry.

“These reforms will enable Pakistan’s industries to scale, compete globally and shift toward higher value-added exports,” he added. “With these changes, we anticipate not just stronger GDP growth, but also increased employment, improved industrial productivity and enhanced investor confidence.”

According to an official statement issued by the BoI, the participants lauded the government’s efforts to streamline regulation and modernize trade facilitation, calling the draft policy a significant step toward Pakistan’s long-term economic transformation.
 

ISLAMABAD: Two of Pakistan’s leading business groups and a company backed by the powerful military will bid for the country’s ailing national carrier, a divestment the government hopes will kickstart the privatizations of state-owned enterprises.

The sale of Pakistan International Airlines will be the first major privatization for around two decades, with the sale of loss-making state-owned enterprises a condition of last year’s $7 billion bailout by the International Monetary Fund.

The government tried unsuccessfully to last year offload a stake in PIA, which is a major burden on its budget, but the sale was aborted because of the poor state of the airline and the conditions attached to any purchase.

Expressions of interest are due by Thursday for an up to 100 percent stake in the airline, with industry insiders expecting more bidders to emerge. They say the deal has been sweetened with a tax incentive and bolstered by signs of a turnaround in PIA’s fortunes.

The Ministry of Privatization did not respond to a request for comment.

Among those planning bids are the Yunus Brothers Group, owners of the Lucky Cement and energy companies; and a consortium led by Arif Habib Limited that includes Fatima Fertilizer, Lake City, and The City School, sources within the companies said.

Fauji Fertilizer Company, which is part-owned by the military, said it will be making an expression of interest, in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange. Fertilizer production is a lucrative sector in Pakistan.

A group of PIA employees has also come forward to bid.

“The employees will use their provident fund and pension, in addition to finding an investor to place a bid. We’re doing this to save jobs and turn around the company,” said Hidayatullah Khan, president of the airline’s Senior Staff Association.

The airline was restructured last year, offloading approximately 80 percent of its legacy debt to the government to make it more attractive to investors. But bidders remain concerned about overstaffing and the ability to fire employees.

Last year’s sale effort failed when the sole bid of $36 million fell far short of a $305 million floor price.

Interested parties walked away before bidding, partly because the government was not willing to give up 100 percent of the company, with bidders saying they did not want the government to remain involved.

Since then, PIA has posted its first operating profit in 21 years, driven by cost-cutting reforms, after making cumulative losses of $2.5 billion.

This success of the current process will depend on whether the government is willing to give up a 100 percent stake, industry insiders said.

They added that a government decision this month to remove the requirement of paying sales tax upfront on the lease of new aircraft, which had been an impediment, will make the deal more attractive.

PIA resumed flights to Europe in January after the European Union lifted a four-year safety ban. The airline has also approached UK authorities for permission to resume services to London and Manchester.

The restoration of international routes is vital to future growth opportunities and successful bidders are likely to bring in foreign airlines as operators.