Dr. Jawwad Uwais Agha has been appointed as the Chairman of the National Tariff Commission (NTC) to spearhead NTC’s transformation for Pakistan’s trade defense and tariff architecture. A seasoned institutional reformer with over 4 Decades of experience in the Federal Government as well as the International Development Sector, Dr. Agha brings a rare multidisciplinary background.

Dr Agha’s core competencies are: Economic Governance, Digital Transformation, Trade Facilitation, Tariff policy analysis, ownership development and sustainable change management. In alignment with the Prime Minister’s vision for a “Future-Ready Autonomous NTC,” Dr. Agha is leading a four-pillar roadmap (Outreach, Digitalization, Legal Reform, and Corporatization). His mission is to transition the NTC from a manual, reactive body into a data-driven authority that serves as a transparent shield for Pakistan’s industrial growth, defending domestic manufacturers against unfair trade practices while facilitating global competitiveness.

Dr. Agha is widely recognized as a pioneer of digitalization in Pakistan’s trade sector. His leadership was instrumental in the successful rollout of the Pakistan Single Window (PSW) and the Web-Based One Customs (WeBOC) system. During his tenure as Member Customs (Operations) and Member Legal at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Dr. Agha managed countrywide operations, supervising 50% of the state’s total revenue collection.

Prior to joining the NTC, Dr. Agha held high-impact international lead-roles that have honed his strategic planning and stakeholder management skills, these included:

• Sri Lanka: Chief Technical Consultant for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) funded Trade Facilitation Implementation Strategy.

• Pakistan: National Project Coordinator for the UK-Aid (FCDO) funded ReMIT-ITC Program, focusing on revenue mobilization and export enhancement.
• Afghanistan: Advisor on Customs & Trade Facilitation for the World Bank and UNOPS, where he established the Afghan Customs Training Institute & led change management strategies.
• Green Trade: Spearheaded the development of Pakistan’s Green Trade Strategy under USAID, aligning trade practices with global environmental standards.

By aligning the NTC’s Appellate Tribunal with international best practices and beefing up legal teams in Lahore and Karachi, he is ensuring that NTC’s determinations are “legally airtight” and defendible at the WTO. As Chairman, Dr. Agha remains committed to the “National Tariff Policy 2025-30” and steering organization in achieving and maintaining the highest standards of public accountability.

“My mission is to develop a transparent, digitalized NTC that acts as a proactive guardian for Pakistan’s industrial output. We are not just rationalizing tariffs; we are building a world-class institution that empowers the industry to compete and win in the global market.”

 — Dr. Jawwad Uwais Agha