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Pakistan

The government of Pakistan is a keen pursuer of bilateral trade and investment agreements. It has a full FTA with Sri Lanka (2005), a PTA with Iran (2004) and Mauritius (2007), Early Harvest Schemes with China (2005) and Malaysia (2007), and is part of both ECOTA and SAFTA. It is in various stages of FTA talks, or preparations for talks, with Brunei, Indonesia, Jordan, Thailand, Malaysia, Morocco, Singapore, the Gulf Cooperation Council, Canada, Switzerland, Indonesia, Nepal, China, Turkey and Russia (among others). In July 2006, it signed a Framework Agreement on Trade with Mercosur.

Negotiations on a US-Pakistan bilateral investment treaty, as a step towards a US-Pakistan FTA, have been quite controversial and are unconcluded. After talks restarted in mid-2010, a draft US-Pakistan BIT was sent for approval to Pakistan’s Cabinet in April 2012. The Pakistani government has already signed almost 50 BITs with other countries. In 2011 Germany ratified a BIT with Pakistan.

On a wider scale, there is talk of possible Pakistani FTAs with Afghanistan, Algeria, the EU, Japan, Laos, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and Tunisia.

last update: May 2012
Photo: Asian Development Bank/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0


Pakistan, Thailand: PAAPAM expresses concern over inclusion of auto sector in FTA
Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers (PAAPAM) expressed concerns on the government’s proposal to include the auto sector in the FTA between Pakistan and Thailand.
Consensus still eludes China, Pakistan on FTA expansion
Pakistan Commerce Ministry has not yet decided to go for the second phase of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China
Pak, Malaysia to finalise reduction of duties under FTA
Malaysia and Pakistan, currently negotiating a further reduction of duties on existing and additional tariff lines under a free trade agreement (FTA), are expected to finalise it in the first quarter next year.
China refuses to give Pakistan more concessions on FTA
Official says Pakistan wanted deeper market access for 35 to 40 tariff lines.
FTAs not benefiting Pakistan, acknowledges government
The government acknowledged that Pakistan has not benefited appropriately from the free trade agreements (FTAs) signed in the past including the one with China.
5th round of Pak-Thailand FTA negotiations held
The fifth round of Pakistan-Thailand Free Trade Agreement negotiations was held in Bangkok.
Pakistan to focus on ‘non-traditional’ trade markets
Pakistan is going to access non-traditional trade markets of the world and liberalise its trade environment, which will ensure sustained economic growth.
Auto vendors concerned about FTA with Thailand
Auto vendors have shown their discomfort over the ongoing negotiations regarding the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Thailand.
Pak-China key trade talks next month
Pakistan and China will make another attempt next month (November) to strike an agreement over the second phase of duty reduction under the free trade agreement (FTA), which is under consideration since 2011.
Pakistan, South Korea to move forward on FTA
Pakistan and South Korea are all set to kick off formal negotiation on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) aimed at boosting bilateral trade.

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  • Pakistan FTAs
    Webpage maintained by the Ministry of Commerce