Trade talks with US to conclude next week

Pakis­tan and the United States convened on Wednesday a third round of virtual negotiations on reciprocal tariffs aiming to finalise a trade deal amid concerns over Islamabad’s $3 billion trade surplus with Washington. The negotiations follow Washington’s annou­ncement of potential 29 per cent tariffs on Pakistani exports, which have been temporarily suspended for 90 days to allow space for negotiations. According to an official announcement by the finance ministry, a virtual meeting took place between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on the reciprocal tariffs. Both sides expressed satisfaction over the ongoing negotiations and resolved to conclude the trade negotiations next week.