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Export industries’ problems should be resolved : NA Standing Committee

Lahore : National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs, today, unanimously recommended the complete official patronage of the export sector of the country besides stressing the need of 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 from the smooth way of national exports promotion by taking all the stake holders into confidence.

This Committee today held it very important meeting at the auditorium of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here today. 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 hard 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, evolving 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.

They revealed that the focusing on the value addition and diversification of the export-products has now become the demand of the demand for the Sialkot exporters to stay in competition in the international markets.

” we should adept ourselves to the new changes”, the exporters added.

Addressing the meeting, the PTI parliamentarian Asad Umer stressed the need of removal of all the hurdles from the way of strengthening the national economy by boosting the exports and encouraging the Sialkot exporters and Sialkot’s export-oriented as well.

Dr. Nafisa Shah, while, addressing the meeting, stressed the need of country’s export sectors encouragement and support by the government by making some urgently needed effective measures to halt the continued decline in the national exports. She also stressed the need of value addition sector’s development.

She said that the time has come for everyone to think seriously for the national economical development and stability by taking all the stake holders, in this regard.
Abdul Rashid Gordil, while addressing the meeting, said that the export industries’ problems should be resolved amicably and immediately by the government.

It was the first time National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs today held this important meeting at the auditorium of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry(SCCI) here today by focusing on the problems of Sialkot exporters and Sialkot industries as well.

Committee also discussed in details the problems being faced by the Sialkot based exporters, stakeholders and industrialists, the problems related to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), State Bank of Pakistan(SBP),  Board of Investment(BoI) and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), besides, discussing the issues of differential of income tax between commercial and industrial importers. the audit criteria  defined by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for industries.

Senior FBR officials gave briefing to the meeting on the status of refunds claims’ payment to the Sialkot exporters till now.

Commitee’s members Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, Dr. Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharral, Mian Abdul Manan, Dr. Nafisa Shah, Asad Umer, Abdul Rashid Godil, senior officials of FBR, SBP, NBP, BoI,  SMEDA, newly elected President of SCCI Zahid Latif Malik,  Chairman “Air Sial” airline Sialkot Fazal Jillani, Chairman Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL) Khawar Anwar Khawaja and senior exporters also attended the meeting.

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