Was Pakistan ever an open economy?
Highest tariff among 70 major exporters; 40% of tariff lines above 15%
Pakistan's National Tariff Policy 2025-30 is now in its second year of implementation. Yet questions persist about whether tariff reforms were necessary, whether the underlying data were reliable, and whether reducing import duties will benefit the economy. These are legitimate questions. But before judging the reforms, we must address a more fundamental issue: was Pakistan genuinely an open economy, or had decades...