30pc commercial attaches to be from private sector: Pak envoy

KARACHI: The Government of Pakistan has envisaged a programme to initially induct 30 percent personnel from private sector business community to act as commercial attaches in the country's foreign Missions.

"The programme is being launched through tests to be conducted by Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and the process will be completed within next two months," said ambassador of Pakistan to the UAE Jamil Khan, who was coordinating with the UAE government in organising the UAE Expo Magnificent7 at Karachi Expo Centre.

He said it was for the first time that the government was sincerely making efforts to flourish and exploit the trade and industrial potential of Pakistan.

Referring to the commercial attaches of the neighbouring countries, he said that the fresh batch of commercial attaches, though from private sector, will be fully trained to market the image and products of Pakistan to a wider spectrum of businessmen of other countries.

Jamil said that he would welcome and recommend all suggestions of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) to the concerned ministries of the government to promote bilateral trade between the two countries.

He said that the government has focussed its attention to diversified fields of investment and commercial relations and not on the remittances being sent by the overseas Pakistanis which amount to more than dollars 2.8 billion per annum.

The ambassador said that he was also making efforts to organise a single country exhibition for Pakistani products with a wide range of products and it would be further good that Pakistani products should remain on display at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce or other centres of commercial importance.

Referring to the queries of members of KCCI, he said that the private sector needs to exploit the potential of export to the UAE and hoped that the Trade and Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) would facilitate the exchange of delegations of the business communities of Pakistan and UAE as well on reciprocal basis.

Jamil said that there was also a need to stress on promotion of brand names of the products with special attention to persistent maintenance of quality of the products. "Brand names are nothing unless you also maintain quality of the produce," he pointed out.

In his brief remarks, KCCI President Abrar Ahmed said that the Chamber has also chalked out a comprehensive plan to give training to high calibre business entrepreneurs in business counselling and become ambassadors of private sector to facilitate in marketing Pakistan products abroad.

"We lack expertise in marketing of our products despite our potential," he maintained.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011