KARACHI, Oct 12: The business community has strongly criticized the Senate’s Special Committee (SSC) on WTO for approving a draft report on “Challenges of WTO and Strategy.”

They expressed their resentment over preparation and approval of a report that would have a direct bearing on the business community and was processed without taking them into confidence.

There is a general resentment over the way the report has been prepared and, thereafter put before the senate for approval.

Rashid Soorty, member, WTO committee of the FPCCI, told Dawn that it was unfortunate that no stakeholder was consulted in the process of preparing the draft report on WTO. He said that even today copies of the report were not made available to stakeholders, including exporters of textiles who contributed up to 67 to 70 per cent to the country’s total exports.

Mr Soorty said that since the stakeholders had not been consulted there were chances of lapses in the draft report. He further said that had the government consulted the private sector, the report would have been more appropriate.

“I have my doubts if they have even fully grasped the implications and challenges of the WTO agreement over country’s economy,” he maintained. He was also critical about the working of Pakistan’s Geneva representatives and said that they lacked calibre needed for such a sensitive post of global level.

The Draft Committee headed by Senator Dr Hafeez Shaikh prepared a report on “Challenges of WTO and Strategy” and was approved last Friday by Senate’s Special Committee to place it before the upper house.

He said it was totally misleading that the report had been prepared in consultation with 27 stakeholders, including legislators, the private sector, NGOs, intellectuals and general public.

Former chairman, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association, Aslam Karsaz, said: “Our trade body was never consulted and we have yet to see the draft report which the Senate has approved.”

“Since the government has not taken us into confidence it could be easily judged that what sort of a report it could be,” he added.

There is a general fear amongst the exporters of textiles and clothing that what sort of report has been prepared and what implications it could have on their trade and exports. They have urged the government to review the decision and take the actual stakeholders into confidence before putting it to the upper house.