ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the government is vigorously pursuing the recent progress made in a meeting of the EU foreign ministers, which granted market access to Pakistani goods into the European trade markets.
The President was hopeful that such steps would boost Pakistan’s economy and address unemployment. According to the Presidency Spokesman, he said this while he was talking to the Chairman of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Ejaz Gohar, who had called him on Wednesday at the Aiwan-e- Sadr.
Federal Minister for Textile and Industry, Rana Muhammad Farooq Saeed Khan, was also present during the meeting. The President, while appreciating the European Union initiative to grant trade concessions, expressed that it will help Pakistan’s economy recover from immense stress caused by unprecedented floods across the country.
He urged the country’s business community to gear up its efforts and add more value to the manufactured goods, in order to optimally utilise trade concessions offered by the European Union. The duty free exports to EU countries will not only boost Pakistan’s exports into the EU countries, but would also generate employment opportunities.
The president said that we have also stressed the US government for early legislation on establishment of ROZs to help revive the hard hit economy of Pakistan and create employment opportunities in war and flood affected areas.
Chairman of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), Ejaz Gohar apprised the President on the steps being taken by the textile industry to boost Pakistan’s exports into the EU and US markets and also made him aware of the various problems faced by the industry.
The President asserted that textile is a key sector of Pakistan’s economy; hence the government would work to resolve all the problems faced by the textile industry on priority basis.
