|
|
|
|
|
The Senate's Special Committee (SSC) on WTO urged for coordinated efforts
to meet the challenges of WTO. This was decided in a meeting chaired by the
Federal Minister for Privatisation & Investment Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh here
today.
The members opined that WTO regime would protect the developed world and the
multinationals; therefore, Pakistan has to prepare a set of strategies and to
develop policies focusing cost and quality issues. The Committee will shortly
formulate the modalities in its next meeting on May 28, 2004 to prepare a
comprehensive report to offer positive recommendations to safeguard the
country's interest after having presentations and suggestions from the export
oriented industry including leather, surgical, sports, carpets and other
products.
The meeting suggested for careful negotiations for extending access to
Pakistani markets. Some members were critical of the Ministries who were
getting extensions for the deleting program in the automobile and
pharmaceutical sectors, which they proposed to be addressed.
Earlier, Dr. A. R. Kamal, Director PIDE and representatives of Sustainable
Agriculture Action Group made separate detailed briefings before SSC and
suggested that Pakistan should be proactive while devising plan to meet the
challenges in the wake of WTO regime. They suggested for a smaller negative
list and proposed that no discrimination should me made on the trade front as
Pakistan was endeavoring to prepare for competition in the free market and was
increasing investment in the country. They urged upon the developed countries
to further reduce the tariff rates. They also highlighted the problems in
agriculture sector, multilateral Trade Agreement, Service sector, investment
rates, State trading, trade facilitation, intellectual property rights,
deletion program, textile quota, SAFTA list and other related issues. 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, the Pharmaceutical Association, Traits Center for WTO &
Business Studies and WTO Watch Group who made presentations on challenges
confronting Pakistan's Engineering, Automobile, Pharmaceutical industries and
other related areas in the wake of WTO regime and their solutions in its
previous meetings.
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.