ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China will ink the second phase of the China Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) on Sunday, Pakistani commerce adviser Abdul Razak Dawood said on Friday, which will include a protection mechanism to help correct a lopsided trade balance between the two countries.
Dawood is part of a delegation accompanying Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to Beijing for the Second Belt and Road Forum that kicked off today, April 26.
Under the first phase of the trade deal which came into effect in 2007, Chinese exports to Pakistan grew from $4.2 billion to around $12 billion, whereas Pakistan’s exports to China only moved up marginally from $0.6b billion to $1.6 billion. Without trade or import safety measures in the first phase, Pakistan lost more than Rs32 billion due to free trade agreement imports from China, according to the Pakistani Federal Board of Revenue.
“There were no safeguard measures in the proper sense in CPFTA-I, now these have been put in place to protect the local Industry,” Dawood told the Pakistani APP news agency.
Under the revised trade deal, 1,700 items have been put on a ‘sensitive list’ to safeguard the local industry, the commerce adviser said, adding that export access into Chinese markets and import protections were the hallmark of the new trade agreement. The safeguard measures will also be utilized to rescue any industry that faced jeopardy and duties could be imposed on certain goods under the mechanism in case a balance of payments problem arose, Dawood said.
The commerce adviser said under the new deal, Pakistan’s exports to China would increase by $500 million within a few months while trade volume would keep increasing in the years to come. Pakistan would also get market access at par with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), he added, providing a level playing field for the country’s exports to compete in the Chinese market.
Under the new free trade regime, Pakistan would also get duty free access on 313 tariff lines, which would help Pakistani exporters boost trade in different products including textiles, chemicals, engineering, fisheries, food items, footwear, plastics and agriculture product — covering around $40 billion in Chinese imports.
However, Dawood said, signing the CPFTA with China was not sufficient to exploit the trade potential between the two countries and additional measures needed to be taken to promote bilateral trade and economic relations. He said around 380 Chinese investors would engage in joint ventures with local investors and there was a push to increase business to business cooperation between both sides. He said Pakistan wanted Chinese investors to invest in a variety of sectors in the country and help export Pakistani products to world markets, including the African region.
In 2017, Pakistan and China unveiled a long-term cooperation plan in economic development envisioning cooperation until at least 2030 in areas ranging from infrastructure to information technology.
The two countries are also partners in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship of Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative to build a new “Silk Road” of land and maritime trade routes across more than 60 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa, for which China has committed a $62 billion investment in Pakistan.
Second phase of Pak-China free trade deal to be inked on Sunday
Second phase of Pak-China free trade deal to be inked on Sunday
- Safeguard mechanisms in China-Pak FTA Phase-II will protect local industry, notes PM’s aide on commerce
- Says Pakistan’s exports to China to go up by $500 million within months
Under floodlights after Tarawih prayers, late-night Ramadan volleyball lights up Islamabad
- Players and spectators gather after Tarawih prayers and matches run until 3am
- Teams travel from across Islamabad and nearby towns to take part in the tournament
ISLAMABAD: Soon after the Tarawih prayers end each night in Ramadan, a playground in Islamabad’s D-17 sector comes alive under bright floodlights.
The quiet residential corner fills with the thwack of volleyballs flying across the net as players leap for smashes and spectators line the edges of the ground, cheering and clapping late into the night. Matches often stretch until 3am, just hours before Sehri, the pre-dawn meal before the day’s fast begins.
Volleyball, one of the cheapest team sports, has long been popular in Pakistani towns and villages. Pakistan’s national team currently ranks 44th out of 101 teams in the FIVB Senior World Rankings and seventh in Asia.
During Ramadan, however, the game becomes more than just competition. With daily routines slowed by fasting, nighttime offers a rare window for activity, socializing and community gatherings.
“It has been four years since I started playing here,” said Ismail Khan, who hails from North Waziristan in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and has represented Pakistan at the Under-19 level.
“Late-night matches in Ramadan have become a tradition. We are busy during the day and fasting, so the night is when everyone is free. That’s when we come together.”
This year, the D-17 Volley Club has organized a Ramadan tournament that has drawn teams from across the capital as well as nearby towns and villages. For many participants, the games are about more than winning.
Khan says the atmosphere during Ramadan is unique.
“It feels different in Ramadan,” he told Arab News. “There is more energy.”
The appeal of the matches extends beyond local players. Whyn Whyn, a volleyball player from the Philippines visiting Pakistan for the second time, occasionally joins games at the D-17 ground.
“This is my exercise. And through sports, I meet many people,” she said, adding that she often spends evenings rotating between different grounds in Islamabad.
Around the court, spectators gather on motorbikes or stand shoulder-to-shoulder near the sidelines, watching each rally unfold. The crowd’s cheers rise with every powerful serve or well-timed block.
“In Ramadan, the atmosphere is different,” Naveed Mahmood, who regularly comes to watch the matches, told Arab News.
“There are more people compared to other months. We stay here until Sehri.”
Children are frequent visitors as well, weaving through the crowd or sitting beside their parents while watching the games.
“I come here two to three times a week to watch volleyball,” said Muhammad Haroon, 13. “My father also plays here and watching him has inspired me to play as well.”
For Munawar Khan, the tournament’s organizer and a doctor by profession, the idea began five years ago with a simple aim: to keep people active during a month when daily routines slow.
“In Ramadan, people don’t have much activity during the day,” he said. “They are fasting and working. At night, they feel free. So, we decided to install floodlights and organize games.”
Over time, the initiative has grown into something larger.
Now, as the night deepens and the crowd lingers by the court, the rhythm of rallies continues beneath the lights, a small Ramadan ritual where sport, community and late-night energy meet until the approach of dawn.
“People from all walks of life come here to play,” Munawar said. “It brings the community together.”
