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Event Title: Senator Anusha Rahman Ahmad Khan, Chairperson Senate Standing Committee on Commerce presiding over a meeting of the committee at Parliament House Islamabad.
Event Date: 2026-02-02
Senate Standing Committee on Commerce Calls for Enhanced Export Measures and Greater Support for Women Entrepreneurs
Chairing the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce, Senator Anusha Rahman emphasized to take necessary measures to facilitate the eligible women entrepreneures participation on national and international expos.
While briefing on the compliance status of the previous recommendations of the Committee, the Chief Executive Officer, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) told that the subsidy on air fare for women entrepreneurs has been upgraded upto 50% on air fare and lodging to promote women entrepreneurship.
Upon a query of Senator Talha Mehmood regarding the steps taken for the Chitrali women entrepreneur, CEO told that TDAP has organized an expo for last two consecutive years and many of the women entrepreneurs displayed their products. Senator Mehmood stressed TDAP to set up a separate office in the region to facilitate the deprived women of that area.
The CEO of TDAP informed the Committee that a total of 34 women entrepreneurs were facilitated to visit Bangladesh through TDAP. He added that TDAP also organized awareness programs to enable women entrepreneurs to access international markets.
The Committee recommended to upgrade the subsidy upto 80 percent for atleast first 10 events to the women entrepreneurs over air fare, travelling and lodging.
The Ministry of Commerce briefed the Committee on the Business-to-Business (B2B) Barter Trade Mechanism. It was informed that a total of 200 B2B meetings were held in Tehran during the recent visit, resulting in the identification of several viable solutions for the export of various commodities between the both countries.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), informed the Committee that transactions through formal banking channels remain a major hurdle faced by the business community while executing trade deals.
The Minister emphasized that smooth banking channels are the backbone of every business, however due to international sanctions, Iran is unable to operate efficiently through conventional banking systems. It was further informed that the Iranian government is inclined to establish a common business market in the border areas to facilitate the business communities of both countries. The Minister added that discussions are underway to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Iran, which is expected to be finalized in the coming months.
The Committee was briefed by the Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, on the initiatives being undertaken under the Export Development Fund (EDF), along with the Prime Minister’s export-focused policy measures aimed at boosting national exports. During the meeting, the Chairperson inquired about the progress of the working groups. In response, it was informed that a total of nine working groups are actively engaged in pursuing various developments, and that further initiatives are being undertaken to enhance Pakistan’s export performance.
The Chairperson emphasized that economic zones should be made fully operational and properly facilitated to support exporters, and stressed the need to develop business-friendly policies to enhance exports. The Chairperson also recommended a review of income tax policies for exporters.
The meeting was attended by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Muhammad Talha Mehmood, Amir Waliuddin Chishti, Bilal Ahmed Khan, Faisal Saleem Rahman and Sarmad Ali. Jam Kamal Khan, Federal Minister for Commerce also attended the meeting. Secretary Ministry of Commerce, CEO TDAP and other officials from different department were in attendance and submitted the facts and figures in-front of the Committee.