ISLAMABAD - The government on Friday vowed to overcome the gas shortage as soon as possible by taking affective measures.
Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce, Textile and Industries, Abdul Razak Dawood has said gas supply to all fertilizers manufacturing units continues without any interruption in order to fulfill the domestic fertilizer requirements during the season and providing it to the farmers at affordable rates. “The government is not shutting down fertilizers industries and there is no shortage of urea therefore the farmers should not worry about,” he said while addressing a press conference.
He admitted that industries are facing gas loadshedding due to increase in gas demand for the domestic consumers. The situation regarding gas availability would improve as Prime Minister Imran Khan had recently taken notice of the situation. Prime Minister had directed the concerned authorities to take the action to improve the situation, he added.
The advisor also briefed the media about his recent visit to Japan. “The Japanese investors had shown keen interest in investing in Pakistan in different fields including Information Technology, waste water treatment, engineering, and desalination plants,” he said. He added that projects under first phase of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would be completed within a year. After that the government would look forward to expand the scope of CPEC in areas of industries, social development, agriculture, and education.
To a question regarding Chinese commitment with Pakistan to provide assistance to ease the country's foreign exchange reserves' problem, Dawood said the Chinese Ambassador in Islamabad has reaffirmed that his country stood by what it agreed during the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China last month. He said the government is preparing a comprehensive industrial policy which would take some time to be finalized.
Meanwhile, Senate Standing Committee on Commerce and Textile Industry in its meeting on Friday has asked the ministry of commerce to take immediate measures to tackle the issue of under invoicing of I.T. products in the country. The Committee directed the Member Customs to bring a detailed paper on the procedure adopted for acquiring prices and mechanism to bring under surveillance those who do over or under invoicing to the Committee in ten days.
The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Leader of the House in Senate Senator Syed Shibli Faraz here at the Parliament House and was attended among others by Senator Dilawar Khan, Nuzhat Sadiq, Nauman Wazir Khattak, Dr. Ghous Muhammad Khan Niazi, Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdl Razzaq Dawood, Secretary Commerce and senior officers from the Commerce ministry. The Committee was given a briefing on the recent trip of China and the subsequent FTA negotiations during the trip, the upcoming STPF 2018-23 and import and export performance of Pakistan for the 1st and 2nd quarter of Financial Year 2018-19.
The Committee was told the National Tariff Policy is being taken before the cabinet and it will see an enhanced role of commerce ministry than before. The Committee members called for private sector commercial counsellors, improvement in balance of trade and tackling de-industrialisation.