Senate committee meeting: Co-ordinated efforts needed to meet WTO challenges

The senate's special committee (SSC) on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has urged for co-ordinated efforts to meet the challenges of the WTO. Federal Minister for Privatisation & Investment Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh chaired the meeting.
The members argued that the WTO regime would protect the developed world and the multinationals.
Therefore, Pakistan has to prepare a well-defined strategy to meet the requirements of the new regime.
The committee would shortly formulate modalities in its next meeting on 28th of this month to prepare a comprehensive report to offer positive recommendations to safeguard the country's interest after having presentations and suggestions from the export-oriented industry including leather, surgical, sports, carpets and other products.
The meeting suggested for careful negotiations for extending access to Pakistani markets.
Some members were critical to the government policy of getting extension for deleting program for automobile and pharmaceutical sector.
Earlier, PIDE director, Dr A.R. Kamal, and representatives of Sustainable Agriculture Action Group made separate briefings to the committee and suggested that Pakistan should be proactive while devising plan to meet challenges of the WTO regime.
They suggested to cut down the negative list and proposed that no discrimination should be made on the trade front as Pakistan was endeavouring to prepare for competition in the free market and was increasing investment in the country.
They urged upon the developed countries to further reduce the tariff rates. They also highlighted the problems in agriculture sector, multilateral trade agreement, service sector, investment rates, trade facilitation, intellectual property rights, deletion program, textile quota, Safta list and other related issues.
The committee has received proposals from the representatives of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce & Industries (FPCCI), All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTAMA), agriculture sector, State Engineering Corporation, Pakistan Engineering Development Board, Pakistan Automobile Motors Association, the Pharmaceutical Association, Traits Centre for WTO and Business Studies and WTO Watch Group.
They made presentations on challenges confronting Pakistan's engineering, automobile, pharmaceutical industries and other related areas in the wake of the WTO regime and their solutions in its previous meetings.
The members of the committee included Senators Professor Khursheed Ahmed, Mushahid Hussain Syed, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Nisar Ahmad Memon, Dr Muhammad Akbar Khawaja, Lieutenant General Javed Ashraf (Retd), Syed Dilawar Abbas, Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, Ms Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli, Waqar Ahmed Khan, Ilyas Ahmed Bilour, Mir Muhammad Naseer Mengal, Muhammad Abbas Komaili, Dr Shahzad Waseem, Ms Roshan Khursheed Bharucha and Chaudhry Muhammad Anwar.