ISLAMABAD, May 3: The European Union has agreed to send an investigating team to Dubai to examine samples of eight Pakistani textile mills in order to finalize the anti-dumping duty of 13.1 per cent on bedlinen. A senior official told Dawn that the EU, however, declined to send the investigating team to Pakistan for completing the review process on the pretext of security reasons for its officials.

When contacted, Commerce Secretary Tasneem Noorani confirmed to Dawn that Pakistan had accepted the EU offer for checking account documents of the sample countries in Dubai. He said the EU team was expected to arrive in Dubai later this month. The sample mills were supposed to provide every information to the EU team in Dubai, he added.

Mr Noorani said that Pakistan had rejected the EU offer of 35,000 tons quota on reduced customs duty rate for bedlinen. “This is not justified following the abolishing of quota regime.”

The review mission was earlier due on February 1 to examine the samples of Pakistani textile mills to finally determine the actual quantum of the alleged dumping, but due to fears of security it cancelled the visit.