October 24, 2003	Friday	Sha’aban 27, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 23: Pakistan is preparing to set up an institute for automobile engineering in Pakistan with the objective of starting full manufacturing of automobile in the country and cutting down dependence on imports.

In a meeting held here on Thursday, the federal minister in charge of science and technology, Prof Attaur Rahman, said the government had decided to take all steps needed to being automobile manufacturing in the country.

The meeting was attended by representatives of National University of Science and Technology, the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) and private sector organizations related to automobile industry.

The minister said huge foreign exchange was transferred from the country every year for importing automobiles.

“We need to focus on export enhancement and import substitution in the automobile sector. The country should not confine itself to assembling imported parts. Steps will be taken to expedite and facilitate designing and manufacturing of automobiles in the country,” Prof Ata said.

The spokesman for the ministry said the meeting discussed factors that prevented manufacturing of automobiles in the country and the problems/hurdles faced by the private sector in this regard.

The participants of the meeting said lack of required manpower at various levels in the industry and almost complete absence of research and development facilities were the basic factors preventing any meaningful move in the right direction.

The meeting, he said, decided to initiate close collaboration between the Higher Education Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology in the upcoming project of automobile manufacturing in the country.

A committee was also formed comprising representatives of MoST, HEC, Nust and representatives of private sector automobile industry.