PM appoints members to long-awaited trade dispute commission

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed five members to the Trade Dispute Resolution Commission (TDRC) on a contract basis for a term of three years, paving the way for the long-awaited body to become fully functional.

According to official notifications, the appointments were approved by the prime minister on August 22, 2025, under the framework of Trade Dispute Resolution Organization (TDRO), which operates under the Ministry of Commerce. The commission is mandated to adjudicate the backlog of trade-related disputes that have remained unresolved for years due to the absence of an operational decision-making body.

The newly appointed members have been hired under the MP-I scale. Of the five, three are from the public sector and two from the private sector. From the public sector, the appointees are Umer Dad Afridi, Javed Iqbal Khan, and Muhammad Hamoodur Rauf, while Mohammad Rauf Khan and Riffat Inam Butt represent the private sector.

The activation of the commission marks a significant milestone in strengthening Pakistan’s trade governance framework, particularly as the country seeks to boost investor confidence and expand exports.