DNA
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), in collaboration with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), organized an informative orientation and training session on the Preferential Trade Access Database (PTAD), aimed at enhancing the awareness of the business community about preferential trade opportunities and facilitating exporters in accessing international markets. A large number of business representatives from Islamabad attended the session.
Secretary TDAP Sheryar Taj, while addressing the participants, gave an overview of the PTAD initiative and highlighted its importance in helping exporters identify preferential trade opportunities, understand applicable trade concessions and make better use of Pakistan’s existing trade agreements. He reaffirmed TDAP’s commitment to promoting national exports, strengthening international trade linkages and creating new avenues for Pakistani businesses to enhance their presence in global markets.
ICCI President Mohammad Zikria Akbar Zia appreciated TDAP for introducing this useful initiative, saying that improved access to trade-related information was essential for enabling Pakistani exporters to compete effectively in international markets. He emphasized that maximizing the benefits of preferential trade agreements could significantly contribute to export growth and economic development. He assured TDAP of ICCI’s fullest cooperation in organizing similar awareness and capacity-building sessions to keep the business community informed about emerging trade opportunities.
Ishaq Shinwari, Director General TDAP, explained that the Preferential Trade Access Database provides a centralized platform bringing together information on preferential tariffs, rules of origin and applicable procedures for products traded under various preferential arrangements to which Pakistan is a party or beneficiary. These include Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs), regional and multilateral arrangements, as well as unilateral Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) schemes. He highlighted that the database would enable businesses to identify relevant trade concessions and better understand the requirements for accessing preferential markets.
Kamal Shaharyar, Consultant TDAP, delivered a detailed presentation on the database, explaining its key features, functionality and practical applications. He demonstrated how businesses could use the platform to explore product-specific tariff concessions, check rules of origin and access relevant procedural information, enabling exporters to make informed decisions while exploring international markets.
ICCI Senior Vice President Mohammad Ashfaq Hussain Chatha appreciated TDAP’s efforts to enhance the business community’s understanding of preferential trade arrangements. He observed that greater awareness of available trade concessions and export procedures could help businesses overcome information gaps, reduce trade-related complexities and identify new export destinations. He stressed the importance of continued collaboration between ICCI and TDAP to strengthen the export capacity of local businesses.
ICCI Executive Member Syed Imran Bukhari conducted the session effectively, ensuring meaningful interaction and engagement among the speakers and participants. The business representatives appreciated TDAP and ICCI for arranging the informative session and acknowledged that PTAD could serve as a valuable resource for exporters seeking to understand preferential market access and improve Pakistan’s utilization of existing trade agreements.
Those present on the occasion included ICCI Executive Members Umer Hussain Malik, Shoaib Zafar, Malik Rashid Tufail, Mohammad Khurshid, Shahid Abbasi, Abrar ul Haq, Abbas Hashmi, Sohail Chaudhry, Israr Mishwani and Zohaib Arshad Malik, along with other representatives of the business community.
