ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Federal Minister for Commerce Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan on Tuesday said that trade with Afghanistan should not be influenced by the occasional tensions between the two countries.
Regional trade was priority of the government and “We are fully committed to enhance trade with Afghanistan including all regional countries”, he said while talking to media persons at Parliament House in Islamabad on Tuesday.
The minister said that efforts would be made to resolve the issues for enhancing trade with Afghanistan adding that transit trade had increased between both the countries in previous fiscal year 2015-16.
Khurram Dastgir said the government would facilitate exporters through Strategic Policy Framework to help their access in international markets.
He said “We would fully facilitate the textile sector too and Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to preside over a meeting in near future in this regard.”
The minister said the government has provided gas and other energy facilities to the textile sector for economic growth, adding that less international demand in textile products was causing a lower growth in that sector.
Earlier speaking in the meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Commerce, Khurram Dastgir Khan said that under the directives of the prime minister 10,000 metric tons of long grain white rice was gifted to China to help meet the emergency situation arisen due to floods.
He said, “We followed all the legal process and ensured the transparency mechanism in this regard”.
The Committee meeting was chaired by Senator Syed Shibli Faraz in Parliament House which discussed the three agenda items.
While discussion on the agenda item, he said that Intellectual Property Organization is working in policy framework and there is need to more legislation in order to ensure proactive decision through the institution.
While talking on the agenda, Chairman Committee Shibli Faraz directed the State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC) to enhance the building structure to complete the renovation of main building well in time and also build the staff capacity.
In the meeting, Chairperson of SLIC Nargis Gillu informed the committee that SLIC have 91 properties in different cities all over the country, including 16 plots, 14 residential units, and 3 agriculture lands.
Senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, Saleem Mandviwala, Mufti Abdul Sattar, Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar and other official of different Miniseries and institutions participated in the meeting.
