Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir on Friday said that the required notifications for both textile and non-textile sectors based upon the announcement made by the prime minister to give duty drawback package to exporters has now been issued and the required circular was expected any day.
He was chairing an inter-ministerial meeting here, attended by textile secretary and commerce secretary. The minister further said that all the procedural formalities have been completed and very soon the exporters would be able to take advantage of the package as it would be available for exporters from January 16.
Earlier, Khurram Dastgir also held a meeting with Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Secretary General Halil Ibrahim Akca. The minister welcomed the delegation led by ECO secretary general and said that Pakistan attached high importance to the ECO Trade Agreement (ECOTA) and that expeditious implementation of the ECOTA tariff concessions would be a major step towards minimizing barriers to trade and ultimately establishing a free trade area in the ECO region.
The ECOTA was signed by five out of ten ECO member states, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Turkey. The minister said that Turkish government must open ECOTA concession list because Pakistan seriously considered the ECOTA Agreement and has already opened its concession list. Pakistan, designated as the coordinating country of ECOTA, had taken a lead in opening ECOTA concession list to the ECO Secretariat in 2008.
