Key takeaways
- Logistics costs are as important to exporters as tariffs.
- Port and corridor reliability can matter more than headline capacity.
- A small number of targeted policy changes could unlock outsized gains.
Discussion of US-Pakistan trade tends to focus on tariffs. For many exporters, the larger obstacle is the cost and unpredictability of getting goods to market: slow port processing, fragmented corridors, and inconsistent documentation requirements.
This report follows a shipment from factory floor to American retailer, identifying where time and money are lost. It then assesses which of those problems can be addressed by policy in Washington, which by policy in Islamabad, and which by joint action between the two.
We conclude with a short list of recommendations aimed at policymakers, port authorities and trade bodies on both sides.