HAFEEZ TO CHAIR SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE (SSC) ON WTO MEETING TOMORROW

Islamabad, December 06, 2004

The Federal Minister for Privatisation & Investment Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh will chair a meeting of the Senate's Special Committee (SSC) on "CHALLENGES OF WTO" in the Committee Room No.1, Parliament House, Islamabad on December 7, 2004 on Tuesday afternoon.

The SSC had so far gathered proposals from the representatives of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce & Industries (FPCCI), All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTAMA), Food, Agriculture & Livestock sectors, State Engineering Corporation, Pakistan Engineering Development Board, Pakistan Automobile Motors Association, Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) on the Business allocated to them under the rules and Government's Preparedness to face the challenges of WTO regime coming into force in 2005 and the Pharmaceutical Association who made presentations on challenges confronting Pakistan's Engineering, Automobile, Pharmaceutical industries, Pakistan Carpet and Surgical manufactures and exports Associations in the wake of WTO regime and their solutions in its previous meetings.

In its forthcoming meeting the SSC will discuss working paper of the Senate's Special Committee on WTO to finalise its recommendations based on the information gathered from various stakeholders.

The 16 members Special Committee headed by Senator Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh was constituted by the House on September 22, 2003. The members of the Special Committee include Senators Prof. Khurshid Ahmed, Mushahid Hussain Syed, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Nisar Ahmad Memon, Dr. Muhammad Akbar Khawaja, Lt. Gen. Retd Javed Ashraf, Syed Dilawar Abbas, Muhammad Azam Khan Swati,Miss. Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli, Waqar Ahmed Khan, Ilyas Ahmed Bilour, Mir Muhammad Naseer Mengal, Muhammad Abbas Komaili, Dr. Shahzad Waseem, Mrs. Roshan Khursheed Bharucha and Ch. Muhammad Anwar Bhinder.