KARACHI: Apparel textile makers and exporters on Wednesday attended a seminar on Pakistan Single Window (PSW), which Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PHMA) organized at the PHMA House in the city.

The participants from all centers like Lahore, Faisalabad and Sialkot took part via an internet video application, while a large number of members were present at the PHMA House in Karachi to get acquainted on the PSW facility.

Naveed Abbas, Additional Collector, Yawar Nawaz, Additional Collector and Chief Domain Officer PSW, Laraib Ghaffar, Domain Officer PSW and Samar Jamil, BPM Head PSW participated to brief the PHMA members about the salient features and registration process of the PSW.

Muhammad Jawed Bilwani Chief Coordinator and Former Central Chairman PHMA welcomed the PSW Officials at PHMA for this orientation seminar to enlighten the exporters about the main features of PSW, which will provide single electronic platform for facilitating compliance with regulatory regime for cross border trade in Pakistan and to answer questions asked by exporters.

Naveed Abbas addressed the exporters that the facility will help reduce time, cost, and complexity to ensure ease of business, besides supporting the government agencies in adopting an integrated risk management approach for an efficient enforcement of control on cross border trade. Under the PSW platform, he said, an ICT-based port community system will also be established and all stakeholders including FIA, Customs, terminal operators, and others will be integrated for efficient cargo management at seaports, airports, dry ports, and land border crossings.

The implementation of PSW by June 2022 will enable Pakistan to achieve compliance with WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement besides helping to unlock its potential in becoming a hub for trade and transit.

He informed that thousand of registrations have been received so far in the PSW portal whereas 27 banks will also be integrated with PSW which would save the business community from visiting banks to fulfill the requirement of Export and Import forms. Right now in the first phase, PSW have five large banks integrated and other are under process.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021