ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce on Monday passed the National Tariff Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Export Development Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The committee, chaired by Muhammad Jawed Hanif Khan, met to consider legislative business and unanimously approved both bills.
During the meeting, committee member Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig proposed several amendments to the Export Development Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The committee adopted the amendments, and the bill was subsequently passed unanimously.
Under the amended law, the EDF Board of Administrators will include four exporters, including one from the non-textile/apparel sector, selected on the basis of historical export performance to ensure stronger industry representation.
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The amendments aim to enhance private sector participation in export promotion, improve governance, and ensure more efficient utilisation of the fund.
The committee also unanimously passed the National Tariff Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to revamp the National Tariff Commission (NTC) by modernising the institution and establishing a more robust and responsive trade-remedy regime beyond reliance on anti-dumping measures alone.
In practice, the NTC has predominantly relied on anti-dumping actions, with limited use of countervailing and safeguard measures. However, tariff reductions under the National Tariff Policy 2025–30 and Pakistan’s international trade obligations have exposed weaknesses in the Commission’s legal and institutional framework.
These shortcomings led to the formation of a review committee headed by Dr Manzoor Ahmad, followed by a high-powered committee chaired by the Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, which examined the review committee’s recommendations and proposed a comprehensive modernisation plan for the NTC.
Tariff liberalisation under the National Tariff Policy 2025–30 has increased domestic industry’s exposure to import surges, making it imperative to strengthen the NTC’s capacity to effectively deploy trade-remedy instruments beyond anti-dumping.
The proposed reforms aim to transform the NTC into a modern and credible trade-remedy authority. It was noted that the requirement for the Commission to function as a collective body, along with administrative and financial constraints, has hampered timely investigations and determinations. Accordingly, the amendments propose strengthening the NTC’s legal and quasi-judicial capacity, including increasing the number of members from five to seven to address the growing workload.
Other proposed changes include revisions to the required qualifications of Commission members and provisions governing the appointment or designation of the Chairman in the event of a vacancy due to retirement, resignation, death, or other reasons.
The chairman thanked committee members for their participation and described both bills as highly significant. He also appreciated their constructive input during the deliberations.
The meeting was attended in person by MNAs Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Kiran Haider, Asad Alam Niazi, Gul Asghar Khan, and Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, while Shaista Pervaiz, Farhan Chishti, Choudhary Iftikhar Nazir, and Muhammad Numan joined virtually. Senior officials from the Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Commerce, and the National Assembly Secretariat were also present.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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