ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will send a high-level delegation to the United States to discuss new sweeping tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, the prime minister’s office said on Wednesday.
Trump said last week he would impose a 10% baseline tariff on all imports to the US and higher duties on dozens of other countries, including some of Washington’s biggest trading partners, rattling global markets and bewildering US allies. The Trump administration imposed a 29% tariff on Pakistan, which charges 58% tariff on goods imported from the US.
According to a Pakistan ministry of commerce report widely cited by Pakistani media this week, the country is expected to incur a loss of approximately $1 billion following the imposition of the new tariff on Pakistani goods.
“The delegation was tasked by the Prime Minister to work out a mutually beneficial course of action for the future after the negotiations on the new tariffs imposed on imports by the US,” PM Shehbaz Sharif’s office said in a statement, adding that leading business figures and exporters would be part of the delegation.
The decision came after a review meeting chaired by Sharif on increasing domestic exports and the new tariffs imposed on imports by the US.
“Various alternative courses of action [to the new tariffs] were presented to the meeting,” the PM’s office said.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke via telephone to Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and “discussed US reciprocal tariffs on Pakistan and how to make progress toward a fair and balanced trade relationship,” the State Department said in a statement.
The US goods trade deficit with Pakistan was $3 billion in 2024, a 5.2% increase over 2023, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.
Pakistan to send delegation to US for talks on new tariffs
https://arab.news/w6unp
Pakistan to send delegation to US for talks on new tariffs
- US has imposed 29% tariff on Pakistan, which charges 58% tariff on goods imported from US
- Commerce ministry report says new tariff is expected to incur a loss of approximately $1 billion on Pakistan
Pakistan plans $3,500 locally made electric car to lure motorcycle users
- Government-backed program aims to speed shift to electric transport
- Lithium battery plants and possible tax cuts seen lowering EV costs
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to launch a locally manufactured low-cost electric vehicle (EV) priced at Rs1 million ($3,556), aimed at helping motorcycle users transition more easily to cars, an official from the Engineering Development Board (EDB) told Arab News on Monday.
The country has seen a gradual rise in the adoption of EVs in a market traditionally dominated by Japanese automakers. The development comes as major cities across Pakistan face some of the world’s highest levels of air pollution, leading to dense smog in winter, with road transport being a major contributor.
In June last year, Pakistan introduced its Electric Vehicle Policy 2025–30, announcing more than Rs100 billion ($353 million) in subsidies over five years to support electric bikes and rickshaws and accelerate the shift toward cleaner transport.
“The car will be fully made in Pakistan and a local company is working on it,” Zeeshan Ashraf, a spokesman for the Engineering Development Board, a government body, told Arab News. “Its full price will be Rs1 million while the government is planning to give extra subsidy on this.”
Chinese and Korean electric vehicle brands have increasingly entered Pakistan’s market in recent years, making EVs a more common sight in cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
Ashraf said the vehicle will be launched under the Pakistan Accelerated Vehicle Electrification (PAVE) Program, a public-sector initiative designed to promote an eco-friendly and economical transportation system in the country.
The locally manufactured low-cost EV is expected to become available across the country within the next few months, he added.
Earlier, Engineering Development Board Chief Executive Hammad Mansoor was quoted by local media as saying that Pakistan could see its first fully electric, locally manufactured car enter the market by June 2026, with an estimated price of around Rs1 million.
Speaking to journalists during an iftar dinner in Karachi this month, Mansoor also signaled that the government may lower vehicle taxes in the upcoming federal budget to make hybrid, electric and conventional fuel vehicles more affordable.
He said Pakistan’s first lithium battery manufacturing facility is expected to begin production by May, while a second plant could start operations in September.
According to him, about 74 percent of battery components will be produced locally, which could significantly reduce the cost of EVs by relying on domestically manufactured parts.
