KARACHI, Nov 18: The government has removed three federal secretaries from the board of directors of the Textile City in Karachi and has replaced them with representatives from the private sector.

"This is the first change in the governing culture after the federal textile ministry has been set in place," an official remarked while pointing out that secretaries of finance, economic affairs and development and of commerce have been removed from the board.

The new members drawn from the private sector are Abdul Razzaq Teli, Dewan Mohammad Yousuf and S.M. Muneer. The board has now only two federal secretaries from the Industries and Textile divisions.

Similar structural changes are under way in the federal textiles board and the boards of directors of the garment cities being planned in Karachi, Faisalabad and Lahore.

The Textile Board will be so constituted as to deal with the problems of cotton sowing, cultivation, ginning, spinning, weaving, value-added products, export and import of the textile business.

Iqbal Tehseen who was additional secretary has been appointed federal secretary Textiles and has been given joint secretary and a few other officers.

The Commerce Ministry will continue to handle the textile export and import of textile related equipment and raw material. But the Prime Minister will ensure that all files are passed on to the federal textile minister if there are any issues involved.

The government has in principle decided to appoint Mirza Qamar Baig as the Trade Negotiator and reports emerging from Islamabad suggest that that it will be attached with the Commerce Ministry. But when dealing with textile related issues with the WTO or in relation to other international trade organisations, the textile ministry will be brought into picture.