Karachi: Mr. Atif Ikram Sheikh, President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), announced that Mr. Syed Aftab Haider, CEO of Pakistan Single Window (PSW), visited Federation House to deliver a briefing and engage in a consultative session focused on the government’s initiatives to digitize and streamline customs procedures in compliance with WTO guidelines.
According to Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Sheikh emphasized the importance of raising awareness within Pakistan’s business, industry, trade, and services sectors about the facilitation and progress that PSW has achieved in customs digitalization. This awareness is expected to significantly enhance the current utilization of pre-arrival Goods Declarations (GDs).
Mr. Saquib Fayyaz Magoon, Senior Vice President of FPCCI, detailed that PSW aims to establish a cohesive electronic platform to efficiently manage imports, exports, and transit trade regulations while simplifying and digitizing trade processes.
Mr. Asif Sakhi, Vice President of FPCCI, noted that following FPCCI’s recommendations, government authorities and PSW have decided to abolish Advanced Payments on GDs starting July 8, 2025. This decision aligns with international best practices and the goals of trade promotion.
Mr. Syed Aftab Haider explained that as part of its trade facilitation and regional connectivity agenda, Pakistan is determined to modernize and automate its systems to align with infrastructure investments for cross-border trade. Pakistan ratified the WTO’s Agreement on Trade Facilitation on October 27, 2015, and PSW is facilitating the country’s compliance with this agreement.
The CEO of PSW also announced that in response to FPCCI’s demand, the PSW’s charge of Rs. 500 would be waived to broaden its user base and maximize service utilization. Currently, 22 government departments are linked with PSW, with a user base of 94,000; one million documents have been processed, and efforts are underway to connect all 77 relevant government departments.
Mr. Khurram Ijaz, Chairman of FPCCI’s Advisory Council on Customs and a Director of PSW, outlined PSW’s goals, including ensuring transparent trade transactions, reducing costs and delays, facilitating banking operations for trade, integrating declarations, and automating customs processes through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Additionally, PSW focuses on connecting government departments for paperless customs processing, enhancing business ease for women traders, and boosting exports and foreign direct investment.