ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari Saturday said that trade instead of aid was key to job creation, exports increase and economic turnaround. The government has been emphasising this upon the international community particularly the EU, the US and on the Friends of Pakistan forum, the President told the meeting of the Task Force on Private Sector Development here in the Presidency on Saturday. He underlined the need that for the economy to bounce back from a sluggish state we need to enhance both the value and quantum of exports by resort to modern technologies and by developing a skilled human resource base. The President said, Use of modern technology by skilled manpower in the development model of public private partnership can do wonders. The meeting was attended by members of the task force including, Shahid Javed Burki, Chairman, Abdul Razak Dawood, Co-Chairman, Bashir Ali Mohammad, Chairman Gul Ahmed Textile Mills Ltd, Zakir Mehmood, President HBL, Samir S Amir, A/CEO Pak Business Council, Dr Pervez Hasan, former chief economist, World Bank, Asad mar, CEO Engro Chemical Pak Ltd, Ms Roshaneh Zafar, President Kashaff Foundation, Ali Jehangir Siddique, ED Jehangir Siddique & Co, Sultan Ahmed Chawla, President FPCCI, Javed Anwar Khan, DG (Fecilitatatin), TDAP and Dr. Shaukat Hameed, Member (Social Sector), Planning Commission. The government side was represented in the meeting by Senator Waqaar Ahmad Khan, Minister for Investment, M Salman Faruqui, Secretary General, Saleem H Mandiwalla, Chairman BOI, Shahab Khawaja, Secretary Industries & Production, Ashraf M. Hayat, Secretary Planning Commission, Salman Ghani, Secretary Commerce, Ahmad Jawad, Secretary Privatization and Tariq Iqbal Puri, Secretary Investment. Briefing the media on the meeting, Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar quoted the President as saying that ways and means had to be explored to reduce dependence on imported fuel, which consumed bulk of exchange earnings. The President said that the use of ethanol fuel could help bring down the oil import bill. That was why the government had undertaken the ethanol fuel project on an urgent basis, the President said. Farhatullah Babar said that the meeting was essentially a brain storming exercise, which the President carries out periodically with leading entrepreneurs and experts to explore ways and means to overcome the present economic difficulties. There are signs that the world is beginning to understand this position, he said and expressed the hope that the proposed scheme for the setting up of the ROZs (Reconstruction Opportunity Zones) in the border areas would soon be formalised. When set up, the ROZs would be a giant leap forward and transform the economic landscape of our border areas, the President said. The entrepreneurs and experts attending the meeting offered a host of suggestions from their respective perspectives. The President, responding to their suggestions, said that the government welcomed the views and suggestions of independent experts for steering the ship of the economy to the safety of the stores.