SIALKOT: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs has unanimously recommended the complete official patronage of the export sector.
The committee stressed the need for making all out sincere efforts to halt the prevailing decline in national exports and give maximum boom to the export industries of Sialkot by removing all the seen and unseen hurdles in the way of exports. It also said that all the stakeholders should be taken into confidence.
This Committee held a very important meeting at the auditorium of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here. Chairman Committee Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh and Mian Abdul Manan jointly chaired the meeting.
The Committee discussed in details the prolonged perturbing problems being faced by the Sialkot exporters and Sialkot industries and recommended that the government should come forward with effective measures to boom up the Sialkot’s sports goods, surgical instruments, leather and leather garments industries by encouraging the Sialkot exporters at every level, besides, ensuring the early release of Sialkot exporters’ prolonged pending duty draw back and refund claims (worth billions of rupees), in this regard.
Committee Chairman Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh said that the Sialkot exporters were the jewels in the national economy , as the Sialkot exporters were strengthening the national economy by earning the foreign exchange to the tune of US$ 2 Billion annually.
During the meeting, the Sialkot exporters pointed that due to the lack of proper official patronage in shape of the export related incentives, the exports of leather were rapidly declining in Sialkot, saying that there was about 25 percent decline in leather exports from Sialkot and this nasty matter should be a point of grave concern and an eye opener for everyone as well.
They told the Committee that it had become very har for the Sialkot exporters to compete with Bangladesh, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Thai Land, China and India in the international markets, as they were producing the much less-cost export products as compared to Pakistan.
Sialkot exporters urged the form the sector-wise economical development councils to boost the surgical, sports goods, leather, textile and leather garments sectors of Sialkot-Pakistan, besides, eveloving the effective and positive long term trade and export policies by taking all the stake holders into confidence , in this regard.
They said “it has become necessary for everyone to wake up now for the national economical stability as well”.
They added that the proper government patronage , support and encouragement could help the Sialkot exporters to flourish the Sialkot exports with full devotion, dedication and complete peace of mind, saying that the government should ensure the early end to the step motherly treatment with the Sialkot exporters and Sialkot industries by the federal government departments.
The Sialkot exporters also urged this National Assembly’s Committee to also keep focus on the value addition and diversification of the all the Sialkot-made export products besides encouraging the Sialkot exporters, in this regard.
Sialkot exporters said that they have been serving as many as 100 international brands at Sialkot by producing the best quality export products like sports goods, surgical instruments, musical instruments and leather garments as well.
