Pakistan’s Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), in collaboration with Pakistan Single Window (PSW), has arranged an informative media briefing session on the working of the PSW systems in the country to facilitate imports and exports without cumbersome orthodox lengthy procedures involving many paperwork and obtaining of NOC from 77 government organisations – now paperless and clearance of cargoes in hours from traditionally days or week.
The briefing was planned for the Media fraternity and will be oriented on the functions of PSW, held in Karachi recently. The awareness session was conducted by a PSW team, including Chief Domain Officer PSW, Asim Awan, and Abdullah Khalid of SPDI.
According to the briefing, Pakistan and China would be integrated through PSW by June 2023 to facilitate and augment trade between both countries. Islamabad and Beijing have huge trade volumes that expand rapidly and need a fast clearance system.
Shipping Industry experts believed that once the PSW systems start working at full length, the congestion issues at ports would be eliminated.
Under the second phase, PSW would take on board Marine Fisheries, Lab Management System, Drug Regulatory Authority, Sindh Excise Department and Engineering Development Board so that traders would not need to go through these departments to obtain NOC. Whereas PSW will facilitate and meet their requirements, even bank challan would be paid through the banking channel.
A trader can subscribe to the PSW facility by submitting NTM, CNIC and mobile numbers for a nominal fee.
Recall here that the Pakistan Single Window initiative led by Pakistan Customs aims at reducing the time and cost of doing business by digitalising Pakistan’s cross-border trade and eliminating paper-based manual processes. The PSWC, a public sector company incorporated under Section 42 of the Companies Act 2017 by Pakistan Customs, has been notified as the ‘Operating Entity’ of the PSW system by the Federal Government under the provisions of the PSW Act 2021.
PSW aims to provide an integrated electronic platform that allows parties involved in international trade and transport to lodge standardised information and documents with a single-entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit regulatory requirements. To ensure optimal benefits of the PSW system to the traders, as well as public sector regulators, Section 3(3) of the PSW Act 2021, makes it mandatory upon Customs and Other Government Agencies (OGAs), as listed in the schedule to the Act, to align their respective laws, regulations, procedures, processes and other information requirements related to the regulation of imports, exports, transit trade and associated transport with Pakistan Single Window.