Pakistan’s National Tariff Commission (NTC) is undergoing a restructuring. In January 2026, Parliament passed the National Tariff Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026. It increases the Commission from five to seven members and revises the qualifications for membership.
The reforms began with a third-party review of the NTC. Mazhar Bangash, Partner at RIAA Barker Gillette, sat on the committee that carried it out. Mazhar heads the firm’s international trade and trade remedies practice.
The National Tariff Commission is Pakistan’s trade remedies authority, but in practice it has relied mainly on anti-dumping duties. Meanwhile, tariff cuts under the National Tariff Policy 2025–30 have exposed domestic producers to more import competition.
The Ministry of Commerce notified the review committee on 15 July 2025 at the direction of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. Dr Manzoor Ahmad convened the eight-member committee, which had one month to report. Its terms of reference covered gaps in the NTC’s structure, mandate and performance against international models. It was also to propose changes to the NTC’s governing laws, assess its data and staffing needs and suggest a mechanism for handling its litigation.
Mazhar, a former Chief Legal Officer of the NTC, represents domestic industries, exporters, importers and other parties in trade remedy investigations. He brought that practitioner’s view of the NTC’s powers, procedures, appeals and litigation to the review.
A high-powered committee chaired by Dr Musadik Malik, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, then considered the report. Over eight meetings in late 2025, it prepared a modernisation plan for the NTC. The Commerce Division drafted the resulting amendments, which the National Assembly and Senate passed on 19 and 20 January 2026. In April 2026, the Prime Minister also directed full digitisation of the NTC, time limits for deciding cases and simplification of the legal framework of its Appellate Tribunal.
“Enlarging the Commission addresses one of the main constraints on the trade remedies system, which is the time it takes to complete an investigation,” said Mazhar Bangash, Partner at RIAA Barker Gillette. “As tariffs fall under the new tariff policy, domestic industry will rely more heavily on a Commission that can act promptly and reach determinations that hold up on appeal.”
For domestic manufacturers, the reforms should make countervailing and safeguard measures a more practical option alongside anti-dumping duties. For importers and exporters, a larger and faster Commission should bring greater legal certainty. Further amendments to the NTC’s legal framework are now under consideration.
For further information on trade remedies in Pakistan, contact Mazhar Bangash, Partner and Head of International Trade and Trade Remedies, today.
This article is not legal advice; it provides information of general interest about current legal issues.
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