ISLAMABAD, May 14: Pakistan and Malaysia would conclude the proposed early harvest programme (EHP) — zero rate duty on selected items — in the next two months, a senior official told Dawn on Saturday. Commerce Secretary Tasneem Noorani said that officials of both the countries were working on preparing the list of items for zero per cent duty under the proposed programme, which was expected to be finalized latest by July. He said that the officials had already held the first round of negotiations on the EHP in Kuala Lumpur last month.

Mr Noorani said the EHP would be converted into a free trade agreement with Malaysia to enhance the volume of bilateral trade. He said the FTA would be finalized on a ‘fast track’ with Malaysia to get maximum benefits. “The proposed FTA with Malaysia will not be linked only with products, but it will cover all areas of interest between the two countries.”

Mr Noorani said the commerce ministry would also speed up the ongoing negotiations with Singapore to expedite the signing of the proposed FTA between the two countries. He said that various areas of Pakistan’s interest would be included in the proposed FTA.