LAHORE, Nov 20: Pakistan should strive hard to reduce industrial input cost, including power tariff, and interference of official departments.

It must also ensure implementation of international quality standards, intellectual property rights and environment laws to realize its potential in textile sector.

This was stated by World Bank economist William J. Martin during a meeting with LCCI President Mian Anjum Nisar here on Thursday.

Mr Martin is here to conduct a study on Pakistan textile and clothing sector and will submit his report to the World Bank in January next year.

He said Pakistan had its own raw material cotton that could help increase its productivity, ensuring its success in the WTO regime.

The LCCI president expressed his concern over the reluctance by the west to implement its WTO rules particularly those about the passing of the trade share to the developing states.

He, however, expressed his optimism that Pakistan was preparing to enter the WTO regime starting from January 2005.

He appealed to the government to install scanning devices at all dryports to avoid delays being caused to Pakistan’s export consignments at foreign dryports, including Dubai, in the name of inspections. Such delays, he said, were not only incurring loss to Pakistani exports but were also making foreign importers scary of placing future orders, he said.—Staff Reporter