January 7, 2003	Tuesday	Ziqa’ad 3, 1423

KARACHI, Jan 6: German embassy in Islamabad has not given visa to more than 75 Pakistani textile exporters who wanted to set up their stalls in Heimtextil Fair beginning in Frankfurt from Wednesday.

Humayun Akhtar Khan, Commerce Minister and senior officers of the Commerce Ministry and Chairman and other officials of the Export Promotion Bureau are reportedly in touch with German charge d’affaires in the embassy to get the visas issued.

Tuesday is the last day when many of these businessmen would catch last flight to be able to attend Heimtextil fair if they get visas.

Businessmen said that about 90 had applied for visas early this month. When businessmen noticed that German embassy staff was giving favourable response many of them approached the EPB.

The EPB Chairman Tariq Ikram is understood to have talked to German charge d’affaires several times and he was given assurance that 45 would be given visas by Monday afternoon and remaining by Tuesday.

“But by Monday afternoon only 12 applicants, mostly junior executives of the textile companies were given visas,” a Faisalabad-based textile exporter informed this correspondent by telephone on Monday evening.

Obviously, all these businessmen are very frustrated and disappointed. Most of them are reported to have paid for the fair participation and hotel charges well in advance.

The EPB has now asked Commercial Counsellor in Frankfurt to ensure that all samples and textile goods sent by the businessmen is entered in the main exhibition hall of the Heimtextil fair.

The Frankfurt exhibition, for home and household textile. is the most important textile export fair in Europe with manufacturers and buyers attending from major countries around the world.

This event has become all the more relevant and pressing for Pakistani textile exporters as buyers from Europe and the US are now reluctant to come to Pakistan because of law and order problem. “Heimtextil is an occasion where we can meet buyers from the Western countries,” an intending participant of the fair said.

Heimtextil is the world’s biggest and longest running fair for home and household textile and is held in January every year. This year, the fair is being held from Jan 8 to 11, 2003.

The EPB has selected 38 small, medium and large exporters to participate in this exhibition. Out of the 38, 36 were issued visas.