SIALKOT: The Gallup Pakistan has started a study of Sialkot’s export industries to find challenges to exporters and importers besides designing suitable policies for the betterment of the export sector. This study is being conducted by Gallup Pakistan under the supervision of International Trade Centre (ITC) in active collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce (MoC).

Chairman of Gallup Pakistan Dr Ijaz Gillani said this at a meeting held at Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here today. Acting SCCI President Waqas Akram Awan, Shazma, Salman Mir and senior journalists also attended the meeting.

Mr Awan stated that Sialkot’s share to Pakistan’s exports was 14 percent. Sialkot is a multi-commodity market, majorly based upon the value addition. He revealed that around 100 international brands were being sourced from Sialkot.

Mr Gilani said that Gallup Pakistan was conducting different social and economic surveys in different regions of the country in order to know the public opinion regarding different issues.

He said that the study of Sialkot’s industries was a project of the International Trade Centre (ITC) in active collaboration with the MoC.

During the meeting, Sialkot exporters said that tax deduction must be through one-window operation.

They said that technology transfer to Sialkot industry was the need of the hour. In the current situation, when the Chinese investors were being offered tax-free infrastructure for the next decade, it was making more difficult for the Sialkot businesses to compete in the international trade markets.

Chairman of Air Sial Airline Fazal Jillani said that the Sialkot exporters have successfully eliminated from Sialkot industry.

He said that the children who were engaged in labor were shifted to schools and their families were provided the alternate jobs and financial help.

He said that unavailability of the dedicated vocational training institutes was a major setback to the Sialkot industry. There was a gap between the skilled labor and unemployment of the youth that needed to be addressed.

Mian Naeem Javaid, chairman of the Sialkot International Airport’s Business Development Committee and former SCCI president, added that Sialkot was the highest taxpayer city, as it did not have a history of bankruptcy. Sialkot Industry never exploited the zero-rating policy.

Khawar Anwar Khawaja, former SCCI president, said Sialkot was a city which completed many of its projects by the spirit of self-reliance of the local exporters. He said that the burden of different taxes with the addition of sales tax and discontinuation of the zero-rating regime would add more problems to the export sector of Sialkot.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2019