Pakistan\'s land port authority and the cost of missed opportunities

Pakistan's recent decision to establish the Land Port Authority is, in principle, a sensible institutional reform. After nearly two decades of discussion, the country now has a dedicated body tasked with regulating, modernising, and facilitating trade through its land ports. For a country that repeatedly declares exports and trade competitiveness as national priorities, such an authority should have been created long ago. Yet the commercial value of this reform cannot be judged by legislation alone. Institutions matter only when they operate within a policy environment that allows them to function. At present, Pakistan's regional trade environment remains severely constrained. In this context, the Land Port Authority risks becoming an administrative structure managing limited activity rather than enabling a meaningful expansion of trade.