ISLAMABAD: The Uni­t­ed Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has urged Pakistan to sign the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), suggesting the pact will ultimately become a stepping stone to promote liberalisation of the country’s economy, and it would be much easier to negotiate Prefer­ential Trade Agreements (FTAs).

In a special report on the potential benefits for Pakistan from the treaty, the UN regional commission says that with accession to APTA, more opportunities would open up for Pakistan in terms of cooperation with advanced participating states of APTA, like China and South Korea in reforming financial industries, as well as addressing the chronic problems of electric power shortage with circular debt.

Published in Dawn February 5th, 2017