Making exports competitive

With only two months to go for the WTO's quota-free trade regime coming into effect, an Asian Development Bank report says that Pakistan needs to diversify its exports to claim its due share in the world market. It says that diversification is needed for Pakistan to remain a major player in the world textile and apparel market. Pakistan's textile exports are the products of low technology and hence lack the sophistication in manufacture and finish wanted in the export market, says the ADB report.

The country also has a fairly regulated trade environment that hinders exports, particularly in new and non-traditional areas. At this stage, it is apparent that neither the government nor the exporters are prepared for a change in the trading regime that will come into force from January 1, 2005. Trading will transform from a sellers' market to a buyers' market as restrictions are done away with and competition largely centres around price and quality. Given this scenario, it is imperative that Pakistan gets its act together so that it can compete in the new environment and boost its exports significantly.

Currently, one of the areas where Pakistan has to work harder is value addition of its textile and apparel exports. It largely stands at the lower end of this market with the result that export items compete on the basis of price and not quality. This needs to change in the coming years with more emphasis on quality so that Pakistani exports are able to hold their own and earn more foreign exchange by improving quality and not depending on quantity alone. For this to happen, both exporters and the government need to come up with a plan that can be put into effect in the coming months.

More investment needs to be made in this area, which can only take place, says the ADB report, if the law and order situation in the country improves. Also, more attention has to be paid to quality control and monitoring. In addition to investment in machinery and technology, the government should invest in human resource development so that the skilled labour required for undertaking quality improvement is at hand.

At the same time, emphasis has to be placed on diversifying exports outside cotton and the textile sector. There are many areas where Pakistan has been a traditional exporter but has been unable to significantly increase overseas sales as a result of poor technology and indifferent quality. Such areas include fisheries, agriculture produce, leather and sports goods and surgical instruments. Export of these items can be raised if the government and traders jointly explore foreign markets to ascertain their requirements and then make an effort to address these.

While there has been a lot of talk about both boosting and diversifying exports, the results are below expectations. Even more worrying is the absence of a plan of action on how Pakistani exporters can take advantage of the quota-free trade regime that is about to come into place. It is imperative that Pakistan increases its exports as the trade gap continues to widen which in turn puts pressure on the country's foreign exchange reserves. This trend should be reversed so that the country can continue to meet its import needs without having to dip into its foreign exchange reserves.

Violence on campuses

Once again, there is violence on the campuses in Karachi. A university has closed its two campuses temporarily following clashes between two student groups last Saturday, and Rangers have been posted to ensure peace. Last week, there were clashes in several colleges involving two student groups. An objective account of what happened at the university and the colleges is hard to get. All sides claim to be innocent and accuse their rivals of starting the trouble. What is important however and a cause for concern is the resurgence of campus violence.

Universities and colleges are places which are supposed to impart not just education in the traditional sense; they are also expected to inculcate discipline, civilized behaviour and high moral values. Equipped with education and a level of culture, the students are supposed to go out and serve and help build society on those values. This unfortunately is not the case with campuses in Pakistan. Students and - regrettably - even teachers have been thoroughly politicized. This has resulted in the loss of lives, vitiated the campuses' atmosphere, and lowered educational standards.

It would be wrong if we blame students alone for the violence. All political parties have their students wings. For that reason the student wings get their "line" from party high-ups. If they indulge in violence, the responsibility for this aberration falls basically on the shoulders of party leaderships. No administrative measures can prevent violence on the campuses unless the political parties realize the harm they are doing to the cause of education and to the future of the younger generation. While several student groups are involved in brawls and shoot-outs, two parties stand out - the All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organization and the Islami Jamiat-i-Talaba.

Traditional rivals, both have been the cause of major violence and disruption of academic discipline for years. They cannot be disciplined unless the political parties guiding their actions rein them in. The Jamaat-i-Islami and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement may be rivals for the control of Karachi, but their leaders should realize the harm they are doing to the cause of education by failing to restrain their student supporters from turning colleges into battlegrounds.

Politicized funeral

'The politics of dead bodies' has long been a part of the subcontinent's turbulent political culture. It was played out again following the death in Saudi Arabia of Mian Muhammad Sharif, the doyen of the Sharif family. Immediately after his passing away, the PML-N raised the demand that his sons be allowed to come to Pakistan with the body for the funeral. It was said that the government was ready to accept the presence of a few members of the exiled family for a restricted period. But the whole affair is mired in confusion.

Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif, it is said, did not want their visit to Pakistan to be conditional and did not apply for permission to travel. The government also claims that no request was received from the family, but it does not say whether any conditions had been imposed. The Sharif family knows that as part of the arrangement under which they were exiled they cannot return to Pakistan. It is not clear whether the Saudi authorities would actually have allowed them to leave the kingdom; the Arabs tend to be rather more matter of fact about death than we are.

Whatever the truth, a great deal of public posturing was evident on both sides. The opposition exploited the opportunity to discredit the government, and it can hardly be blamed for it in view of how the latter has driven it into a corner with its arrogant disregard of democratic and parliamentary traditions. But should the government also have indulged in the same game and politicized the funeral? Some of the security arrangements are understandable, but as always the authorities went for the overkill.

They had done the same when Mr Shahbaz Sharif had made a bid to return to Lahore. Such reactions often reflect lack of confidence of the government in its own political strength. Men may come and men may go, but we never seem to learn.