Gohar Ejaz sees trade deal with US as big opportunity for Pakistanis

Former caretaker federal minister Dr Gohar Ejaz, who is the incumbent chairman of the Economic Policy and Business Development think tank, on Friday praised the Pakistani government for striking a successful trade deal with the United States of Pakistan. 

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ejaz described the trade deal with the United States as Pakistan’s victory and a big opportunity for Pakistanis. He said the US has given Pakistan 10 percent relief in tariff, decreasing it from 29 percent to 19 percent.

He said he was hopeful that the US would make further cut in this tariff. He said that 10 percent cut in tariff would make Pakistani products competitive in the US market. He said the United States has set a higher tariff for a country, which is Pakistan’s competitor. 

Ejaz said the Pakistani government should fully benefit from this opportunity and take emergency measures to build an economy based on exports. He said the United States has set a lower tariff for Pakistan compared to India and Bangladesh. 

His X post reads, “It is a positive opportunity for Pakistan, as our19 percent rate puts us at par with textile competitors like Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. We are better placed than India.”