LAHORE: All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab Chairman S M Tanveer has said that Pakistan has achieved first-ever milestone leading towards the GSP-Plus status for its textile and clothing industry in the EU, as the International Trade Committee of EU has approved the duty-free status for Pakistan with a majority vote.
He lauded the effective and successful diplomatic initiatives of the government and appreciated the efforts of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Governor Ch Muhammad Sarwar, Advisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, State Minister for Commerce and Textile Industry Khurram Dastgir and Commerce Secretary Qasim Niaz.
S M Tanveer has expressed the hope that the matter will be put forward to the EU Parliament on December 10 for granting duty-free market access to Pakistani exports under the Generalised System of Preference (GSP) Plus status with effect from January 1, 2014.
The APTMA Punjab chairman said it is a great opportunity for the textile industry of Pakistan to manufacture and produce exportable surplus to realize maximum benefits of the scheme.
