Pakistan is Working on “National One Window System” to Improve Ease of Doing Business

Pakistan is ready to join global community by incorporating paper free regulatory environment under a new project called “National One Window System”.

According to details available with ProPakistani, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has given a go ahead for “National One Window System” (NOWS) and nominated Pakistan Customs as the lead agency for the implementation of the project.

Once implemented, businesses will be able to get approvals and certifications for all sorts of imports and exports while remaining online and that too with-in record time.

With implementation of this project starting and doing business in Pakistan will be a clicks away.

Member Customs, Muhammad Zahid Khoker, disclosed this while speaking with ProPakistani on the sidelines of a seminar held at Karachi Gymkhana.

Mr. Khokher told ProPakistani that this new project is part of World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Bank (WB) ease to do business program. He said that Pakistan is a signatory of the program and implementation of NOWS is a step towards easing the processes involved in starting and doing businesses in Pakistan.

Mr. Khokher confirmed that summary was sent to Prime Minister house for the approval, which was ultimately approved just recently.

He said that implementation of NOWS project will cost several billion rupees and is funded by World Bank.

It must be mentioned here that NOWS project will involve about 40 ministries, departments, autonomous bodies and agencies and other institutes.

Once implemented, all these ministries, departments, bodies and agencies will come online on a singular platform.

“As part of NOWS project, customs will also upgrade its online clearing and forwarding system called WeBoc”, confirmed Mr. Zahid Khokher.

He said that all relevant bodies will also be available online on WeBoc and businesses will be able to get all sorts of required approvals and certifications online.

“There will be strict time line for approval or disapproval of applications. And if any application is not decided or responded then it will be automatically escalated to higher officers”, told us the member custom.

“If the entire department is not able to resolve or decide an application then it will further escalate to steering committee chaired by PM”, Mr. Khokher further told ProPakistani.

It must be mentioned that Pakistan currently ranks at 144th position out of 190 countries in ease of doing business.

With implementation of NOWS project, Pakistan’s this ease of doing business ranking is going to get improved substantially.