National Tariff Commission (NTC) Chairman Prince Abbas Khan on Monday said so far not a single complaint has been received against India and, if received, it will be dealt according to law. Talking to newsmen at Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Abbas Khan said some sectors of local industries are worried about the expected huge imports from India.
Still there is not a single complaint against India, he added. "We have safeguard law in place... if a complaint is received, we will consider it as per prescribed procedure and subsequent action taken, if required," he added. He said presently there are some changes suggested in the NTC law according to which chairman and a board member can take a decision on any complaint. Three members are necessary for making any decision.
He said the Cabinet has approved amendment and now it will be presented to the parliament for final approval. The chairman said 13 cases of anti-dumping duty are in process and likely to be settled within prescribed time limit. In Pakistan, antidumping duty was proposed on 46 items of which duty was slapped on some 22 items.
Before tariff liberalisation, the domestic industry was being protected against cheaper imports by introducing high tariff regime ie high customs duty and sales tax, he said. The chairman assured the business community that all the measures will be taken to protect the domestic industry and if duty is proposed in a proper manner along with documentary proof, the NTC will take a decision. He said the NTC deals with all the cases on merit and any importer can file appeal against NTC decision in the appellant tribunal. Acting president of FPCCI, Shaikh Shakeel Dhingra, Shahid Ahmed Khan and others also participated in the discussion.