This is apropos a clarification of a news item carried by Business Recorder on Monday; according to it, "the Ministry of Commerce maintains 56 commercial offices in 42 countries abroad. These offices are important outposts of Ministry of Commerce for promoting and facilitating Pakistan's trade interests particularly exports and attracting investments into Pakistan.
The selection of trade officers has remained a subject of considerable controversy and generated frequent complaints of lack of transparency in the past. Consequently, reforms were introduced from time to time in the policy/procedure for selection of trade officers, eg, conducting the screening test through LUMS, etc." The questions, however, are: What has been done with regard to persistent export slide? What our trade missions abroad have done to attract investment into Pakistan? Do we really need such offices in the absence of desired results?