Washington and Islamabad restart stalled trade talks

Trade negotiators from the United States and Pakistan opened a fresh round of talks this week, the first formal session in close to two years and one both sides have described in deliberately modest terms.

Market access for textiles leads the agenda. Pakistani exporters have pressed for tariff treatment closer to what regional competitors receive, arguing that the current schedule leaves them structurally disadvantaged in a category that accounts for roughly three fifths of the country’s export earnings.

American officials have linked progress to a set of commitments on labour standards and customs transparency. Two people familiar with the preparatory work said the gap on sequencing, rather than substance, is what stalled the previous round.

Neither delegation has set a deadline. The practical measure of this week, one official said, is whether a working group emerges with a calendar attached.