Ministry of Commerce Resumes Process For Posting Trade Officers Abroad

The Ministry of Commerce has resumed the process of appointing new trade officers abroad. Sources told ProPakistani that the ministry had reversed its decision to disqualify two officers for interviews. The two officers in question, initially deemed ineligible, have now been declared eligible for interviews, Commerce Ministry sources said. Today, two officers from the Inland Revenue Service have been called for interviews. These proceedings are being overseen by a newly established board under Caretaker Commerce Minister Gohar Ejaz. The process has been ongoing for three months and aims to appoint 40 new trade officers. A full year has passed since the extension of the tenure of trade officers already stationed abroad. Notably, the disqualification issue prompted the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to submit updated data on officers to the Commerce Ministry on September 20, 2023. Following the completion of the interview phase, the list of viable candidates will be forwarded to the Prime Minister for approval. Government sources added that a substantial number of aspirants failed the written test for Trade Officers, with 161 out of 262 candidates falling short, while 101 candidates managed to clear it. Trade officers are expected to be stationed at key diplomatic stations worldwide including Sydney, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Jakarta, Riyadh, Washington, London, Kandahar, Tokyo, New Delhi, Bangkok, New York, Madrid, and Jeddah.