KARACHI: Pakistan has signed the Developing-8 (D-8) dispute settlement mechanism, an official statement said on Wednesday, as its commerce minister urged member states to operationalize the bloc’s preferential trade agreement (PTA) and expand cooperation in digital trade to boost regional economic integration.
The eight-nation grouping, founded in 1997 by Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Türkiye, Egypt and Nigeria, aims to promote economic cooperation among large Muslim-majority developing states, though progress has often been uneven.
Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan made the remarks at the Fourth D-8 Trade Ministers Council in Cairo, where delegations met to review trade commitments and discuss the PTA’s implementation.
“The signing of the protocol — together with the operationalization of the PTA among D-8 member states — is expected to further enhance trade, facilitate smoother economic engagement and support the long-term vision of a more integrated D-8 economic bloc,” the commerce ministry said.
“Jam Kamal Khan stressed the urgency for regional platforms like the D-8 to respond collectively to rising protectionism, supply chain disruptions, climate-related shocks and commodity market volatility,” it added. “Strengthened cooperation, he noted, is essential to maintain resilience, sustain trade flows and foster market confidence.”
