ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Commerce on Tuesday expressed reservations about the Rs4.8 billion Expo Center, Quetta project and suggested a meeting between federal minister for commerce and Balochistan chief minister next week for identifying an alternative site and pended the budget approval till the time.
The committee members hailing from Balochistan raised concerns about the suitability and security of the proposed site.
Senator Anusha Rahman chaired the committee meeting here.
The committee also considered PSDP proposals for the Financial Year 2026–27, reviewed budget utilisation of the commerce ministry, examined the compliance report on earlier recommendations about the Intellectual Property Organization (IPO) offices dealing with patents, copyrights and trademarks, discussed initiatives for promoting women entrepreneurs and strengthening cottage industry, and received briefings from the Trade and Investment Counsellors (TICs) posted in Korea and Jeddah.
Senator Sarmad Ali, Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, Senator Saleem Mandviwala, Senator Rahat Jamali, and Senator Bilal Ahmed attended the committee meeting.
The committee reviewed PSDP proposals for FY2026–27 and was informed that two development projects had been proposed.
During discussion on the Expo Center, Quetta project, the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry president briefed the committee that the current location was far from the city and was not secure enough to effectively host trade exhibitions.
Senators from Balochistan echoed these concerns and were joined by the TDAP secretary, who shared that the commerce minister had also written to the Balochistan govt for providing an alternative location but the request was declined. The committee observed that constructing the Expo Center at the current site may result in wastage of public funds and become a burden on the national exchequer, as the center may not be able to generate revenue due to security concerns.
The committee unanimously recommended that the project was not viable at the existing location due to security concerns and should be pended until the matter was raised again by the Ministry of Commerce with the Balochistan chief minister and the Senate committee concerns were communicated.
The committee was also briefed on the proposed PSDP project titled “Export Accelerator for SMEs.”
The members observed that export development initiatives should ideally be financed through the Export Development Fund (EDF).
Secretary commerce informed the committee that the project had been initiated on the direction of minister for planning and special initiatives. After detailed deliberations, the committee directed the ministry to first place the project before the EDF Board for possible funding and consider PSDP financing only if required thereafter.
The committee reviewed the compliance status of its earlier recommendations about the IPO offices, including the Patent Office, Copyright Office and Trade Marks Registry Office in Karachi. The chairperson expressed concerns over the significant backlog of pending cases and directed the organization to clear the backlog at the earliest.
The IPO officials assured the committee that the pending cases would be cleared within six months, as the organization was enhancing the capacity of its human resources through training.
The committee was also briefed on initiatives of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) for promoting women entrepreneurs and strengthening the cottage industry.
The chairperson emphasized the importance of such initiatives for the country’s socio-economic development and highlighted the need for greater policy-level interventions.
It was noted that the TDAP had established a dedicated Women Entrepreneurs Division and signed MoUs with various NGOs and government organizations, including the Pakistan Single Window, to strengthen networks supporting cottage industries and women-led businesses.
The chairperson, however, stressed the need for more proactive policy initiatives and directed the TDAP to further expand support mechanisms for women entrepreneurs.
Briefings were also given by the trade and investment counsellors posted in Korea and Jeddah.
The chairperson highlighted opportunities for expanding trade with Korea in their specilaised industries, and emphasized the potential benefits of exploring a free trade agreement with Korea.
She also pointed to opportunities for Pakistan in emerging datacentre projects by Saudi Arabia which could be expanded to Pakistan.
The Trade and Investment Counsellor in Jeddah informed the committee that around 100 Pakistani IT companies had established offices in Saudi Arabia. It was further noted that Pakistan’s major exports to Saudi Arabia currently included food products and textiles. The chairperson urged the Ministry of Commerce and the TIC Jeddah to explore the post-war additional employment and business opportunities for Pakistani professionals, particularly in light of potential workforce shifts in the region.
