KARACHI, Oct 16: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry has called for making domestic industrial policy compliant with international trading laws of the WTO.

FPCCI Vice-President M.A. Jabbar while talking to APP here on Saturday said the WTO agreement was like an act for domestic legislation by all the member countries of WTO. He observed that in Pakistan some of the legislations had ignored the need to balance the interest of locals against international obligations.

"The agreements in Pakistan should focus on protecting the trade in goods and intellectual properties where we had optional escapes," he said.

The mandatory compliances had to be strengthened by enhancing the domestic capacity to face the challenges in the areas of technical and non-tariff barriers.

He was of view that the country should try to establish earlier networking of Pakistan Intellectual Property Rights Organization so that "we could demand market excess against our compliant position in matters of intellectual property rights".

Mr Jabbar also underlined the need for upgrading the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research through improved infrastructure enabling the acquiring and issuance of international standards which were recognized across the border.

He noted that sanitary and phyto-sanitary environment had to be brought in agreement with international standards so that increasing trade in future of agri-produce and marine life remains unhindered.

The future trade of Pakistan could foresee a volume of export trade after phasing out of subsidies on agriculture by developed countries under the agreement made in Geneva recently under the WTO.

He said also expressed concerns over the present constitution and strength of the National Tariff Commission in meeting the national requirements.

Mr Jabbar said the growth of small and medium enterprises had to be contributed by very powerful body dealing with anti-dumping, counter-veiling and safeguards measures. These agreements were the best tools to protect small and medium industries from unfair import trading.

He suggested that an anti-dumping duty on imports should be imposed at the earliest to save domestic small industry from injury. Mr Jabbar said the decisions required level of knowledge, skill and education to support the imposition of anti-dumping duties.-APP