KARACHI: Pakistan has been actively working to strengthen its foreign policy, and a major part of that effort is now visible through the country’s growing role in regional trade. The Gwadar port, a key asset for Pakistan, has become fully operational, and currently three thousand containers filled with goods meant for transit trade are present at the port.
This development shows that Pakistan is making trade easier not just for neighboring countries but for the entire world. In another move to simplify cross-border commerce, the government will soon publish the rules for transit trade passing through Iran.
Officials who played a key role in setting up the automated systems for this trade have been recognized for their hard work. Among them is Ali Zaman Gardezi, the Director General of Automation, who contributed to the entire automation process.
He also acknowledged the efforts of the Director General of Transit Trade, Collector of Export Rizwan Mehmood, Additional Collector Zehra Tahir Naqvi, and Deputy Collector Mustafa Zameer. In addition, the Pakistan Single Window team led by Aftab Haider and Director Naveed Abbas Memon played an active part in making these achievements possible.
In a separate but related milestone, a company named Hemani has made history by becoming the first to export goods from the Karachi Export Processing Zone to Kyrgyzstan using the Sost border route.
This is a major step forward for Pakistan’s growing trade connection with Central Asia. The shipment marks the first outbound export from an export processing zone through this newly opened path, which offers a faster and more efficient way to send goods to the Commonwealth of Independent States region. A spokesperson for Hemani called it a defining moment for both the company and Pakistan’s export sector.
Hemani publicly thanked several government bodies and officials for their support, including Pakistan Customs, the Ministry of Commerce, the Director General of Transit Trade, the Director General of Automation and Reforms, the Pakistan Single Window departments, the Collector of Port Qasim, the Deputy Collector of the Export Processing Zone, the Embassy of Pakistan in Kyrgyzstan, and the management of the Export Processing Zone Authority. According to Hemani, this achievement proves the company’s leadership in expanding regional trade and exploring new markets for Pakistani exports.