SIALKOT - Advisor to Prime Minister for Commerce, Textile, Industries, Production and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood urged Sialkot exporters to make strategic thinking to boost national exports. "Economy will not be able to achieve high growth rate until and unless the manufacturing sector and exports were strengthened."

Abdul Razak Dawood was addressing an important meeting of the Sialkot exporters held at Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here on Sunday.

The PM advisor urged the Sialkot exporters to make strategic thinking to boost national exports. He said the government was making proper planning, evolving effective and positive policies to boost industrial sector, besides taking business community into confidence for ensuring complete implementation of the business and investment-friendly policies in the country.

SCCI President Khawaja Masud Akhtar presided over the meeting. SCCI SVP Waqas Akram Awan, Sialkot exporters' leader Riazud Din Sheikh, local senior TDAP and FBR officials and SCCI's former presidents, SVPs and VPs and Chairman Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL) Nadeem Anwar Qureshi also attended the meeting.

Dawood announced his full support for Sialkot for early establishment of Special Economic Zone. He said that the government was evolving positive and effective strategies to boost exports through direly needed reduction in cost of doing business in Pakistan as well.

He said the issue of 5 per cent regulatory duty on the import of polyester yarn and 7 per cent anti-dumping duty would be resolved in the current month. Dawood said the role of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) was being redefined to only taxes collection from levying taxes. "I have sent a summery to the government under which now the FBR would not levy any tax directly, as its role would be taxes collection not to levy any tax directly," he revealed.

He said Sialkot exporters had set a unique example by establishing Sialkot International airport on self-help basis, the first-ever mega project of the private sector here. Dawood highly hailed unique export culture of Sialkot and its socio-economic and human development by Sialkot exporters on self-help basis.

He urged the business community to start reverse engineering, saying that Japan is the master of doing reverse engineering. He asked the business community to adopt export culture of Sialkot to enhance exports.

He assured that the government would soon abolish all duties and taxes on the import of raw materials, adding that the DTRE facilities should be made easier. He assured to look into the matter of DLTL cases pendency to facilitate Sialkot exporters.

He asked the Sialkot exporters to start their own branding in South Africa and African countries, saying that the government would support the business community in every matter.