Page 9 - November/December-2019

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Textile industry call to withdraw

merger of textile, commerce divisions

The textile industry showed its discontent with the statistics, organization and control of chamber of
government’s decision to merge the federal and associations of commerce and industry, tariff
Commerce and Textile divisions and rename the (protection) policy and its implementation, law of
Ministry of Commerce and Textile as Ministry of insurance, regulation and control of insurance
Commerce. companies, actual work, insurance of war, riot
and civil commotion risks and life insurance but
In a joint statement issued by Council of All excluding health and unemployment insurance,
Pakistan Textile Mills Associations (APTMA) and export promotion, special selection board for
other industry stakeholders, Chairman Muhammad selection of commercial officers for posting in
Zubair Motiwala urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to Pakistan Missions abroad, anti-dumping duties,
withdraw the decision and said that the move would countervailing and safeguard laws, management
damage the textile sector. of EDF/EMDF, domestic commerce reforms and
development in collaboration with other Ministries,
Calling the merger counterproductive, Motiwala provincial and local government, Intellectual
said that a dedicated and independent textile Property Organization of Pakistan (IPO), textile
ministry would help contribute to the revival of the industrial policy, coordination and liaison with
economy and play its part in tipping the trade federal agencies/institutions, provincial
balance in Pakistan’s favour. The statement governments and local government entities for
called the merger of the textile and commerce facilitation and promotion of the textile sector,
divisions an irony that the government made the liaison, dialogues, negotiations, except trade
move without taking stakeholders on board. negotiations, and cooperation with international
donor agencies and multilateral regulatory and
Earlier in the month. the government of Pakistan development organizations with regard to textile
merged the federal Commerce and Textile sector, setting of standard and monitoring and
divisions on the recommendations of Dr Ishrat maintaining, vigilance for strict compliance of the
Hussain. The federal cabinet also gave the standards throughout production and value
go-ahead for the merger. As a result, 19 chain, textile related statistics, surveys,
sub-bodies of seven ministries would be merged commercial intelligence, analysis and
and nine subordinate departments of five dissemination of information and reports on
ministries would be transferred to other international demand patterns, market access
ministries, whereas five departments of three etc, linkage with cotton and textile producing
ministries would be abolished. countries, training, skill development, research for
quality improvement and productivity enhancement
As per the rules of business, the Commerce throughout the production/ value chain.
Division will include all imports and exports as
well as: (i) treaties, agreements, protocols and Commerce Division will be given the
conventions with other countries and international administrative control of (i) Federal Textile Board;
agencies; (ii) promotion of foreign trade including (ii) Textile City (projects), Karachi/Faisalabad; (iii)
trader offices abroad, trade delegations to and National Textile University, Faisalabad; (iv) Textile
from abroad, overseas trade exhibitions and Commissioners Organization;(v) Directorate
conferences and committee connected with General of Textile & Quota Supervisory Council;
foreign trade; (iii) standards of quality of goods to (vi) all textiles related EPB/ EDF funded institutes
be imported and exported; (iv) transit trade and concerned with skill development in various
border trade and; (v) state trading. sub-sectors of textile industry; (vii) textile testing
laboratory, Faisalabad; (viii) Garment City
Commerce Ministry will also be responsible for Projects at Lahore, Faisalabad and Karachi and;
inter-provincial trade, commercial intelligence and (ix) Pakistan Cotton Standards Institute, Karachi.

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