May 24, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 21,1424

KARACHI, May 23: German consul general in Karachi Ms Verena G Von Roedern on Thursday said that her visa section had to strictly follow the Shengen countries’ visa rules which were cautious under the present security conditions around the world.

Speaking at a press conference called by a group of German Textile Machinery Association — VDMA — here, the German diplomat said three months ago when she was assigned to the Karachi consulate her friends and well wisher cautioned her about the security problems.

However, ever since she took the charge of German consulate, Karachi, she did not feel any fear or had been intimidated and was leading a normal life.

Nevertheless, she said that Pakistan’s image the world around had been tarnished because of host of problems and more over by irresponsible attitude of the people at the helm of affairs.

Citing an example, she said recently some Islamabad based Western diplomats planned a visit to Karachi but they were stopped by the foreign office on security grounds. Such events, she added, worked as a negative message around the world and damaged the country’s image.

VDMA director Ragnar Strauch said that a two-day symposium was being organized in Lahore on May 27-28 by the German textile machinery manufacturers which would be inaugurated by Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan.

He said hundreds of delegates had registered to attend this symposium. The symposium is also supported by the German government. German ambassador Dr Christoph Brummer will be present at the event, he added.

The export of textile machinery from Germany to Pakistan, he said, had doubled in the last five years, touching the market of 79.5 million euros in 2002. Mr Strauch said that Pakistan was now ranked 9th in the machinery import from Germany. He said that import of textile machinery from Germany to Pakistan is increasing by nine per cent.