A high-level delegation from Pakistan is set to visit the United States of America to renegotiate the 29% tariff from the US. The USA triggered a $2.99 billion trade imbalance. The move has alarmed exporters, particularly in the textile and apparel sector, which made up over 76% of Pakistan’s $5.12 billion exports to the US in 2024.
A high-level Pakistani delegation led by Secretary of Commerce Jawad Paul is set to visit Washington for renegotiations. To ensure policy alignment, a working group under the Commerce Ministry and a steering committee headed by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb have been formed, with instructions to centralize all communities with the US authorities.
“You should never let a good crisis go to waste,” Aurangzeb told reporters. “So, we are looking at it both as a challenge and as an opportunity. On the opportunity side, it’s a relative value discussion in terms of what is happening at other locations and jurisdictions. And on the challenge side, what we can do in terms of the negotiations with the US administration.”
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“In the next couple of days, we are going to finalize our recommendations to the prime minister and … with [his] approval … send a high-level delegation to Washington to get our views across and to ensure that we want to be … a long term strategic partner [with the US],” he added.
Aurangzeb said a policy package was under development to guide future discussions with American officials.
“We want to make sure that we, in terms of our representations, put forward how we see [the tariff issue] in the medium to long term as a win-win situation for both Pakistan and the US,” he said.
According to the Central Bank of Pakistan, the country exported $5.44 billion worth of goods to the US in 2024. In the first eight months of the current fiscal year (July–February), exports to the US totaled $4 billion, up 10 percent from the same period last year.