ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has evolved a comprehensive plan to convince the United Kingdom to continue letting Pakistani goods have preferential market access in the wake of Brexit.

Brexit refers to the upcoming withdrawal of the UK from the European Union (EU).

Commerce Secretary Azmat Ali Ranjha shared the plan with top UK officials in his ongoing visit to the kingdom to assess post-Brexit trade opportunities.

A statement released by the Ministry of Commerce said Mr Ranjha expressed Pakistan’s desire to maintain with the UK a Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Plus-like arrangement in the short term.

He said this arrangement can later be expanded to a preferential or free trade agreement with the European power.

Responding to Pakistan’s proposal, Department for International Trade (DIT) Secretary Martin Donnelly welcomed the idea and assured that the post-Brexit UK would be more open to the outside world, especially towards countries like Pakistan with which it has strong historical and cultural linkages.

Both sides showed commitment to coming up with an arrangement that could maintain Pakistan’s preferential access to the UK markets along similar lines.

Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK Syed Ibne Abbas also attended the meeting to discuss the modalities of the future trade relationship between the two countries.

The British side assured Pakistan of its full commitment to supporting the GSP Plus arrangement not only in the UK but also the EU.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2016