Pakistan, Bangladesh to revive JEC after two decades

KARACHI: Pakistan and Bangladesh agreed to revive their Joint Economic Commission (JEC) after nearly two decades, aiming to unlock untapped trade potential and deepen economic collaboration, officials said on Friday.

Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan met Bangladesh’s Adviser for Commerce Sk Bashir Uddin in Dhaka, where both sides agreed the long-dormant JEC — last convened in 2005 — would frame a roadmap to enhance bilateral trade, attract investment and develop sector-specific cooperation.

Discussions covered agriculture, renewable energy, steel, shipbuilding, halal trade, leather, rice, minerals and agro-processing. The two countries are also forming a Joint TradeCommission and a Joint Working Group on Trade to strengthen commercial ties and reduce tariffs and duties on selected goods.

Separately, Khan met Bangladesh’s Adviser for Food Ali Imam Majumdar to review a rice trade agreement signed earlier this year, under which Pakistan delivered 50,000 metric tonnes to Bangladesh. Both sides said the deal would pave the way for wider collaboration in food security and agricultural development.Khan invited Bangladeshi officials and businesses to the International Food and Agricultural Exhibition (FoodAg) in Karachi this November to explore investment prospects.