KARACHI, Nov 22: Government dignitaries, top bureaucrats, business and corporate leaders and professional experts will get together in the city on December 2-3 at the first Pakistan Industry Conference-2005 to critically appreciate policy factors that led to industrial growth in the last four years and to ponder over the strategy to sustain this growth in future and also to share their vision of investment in future generation of industries.

From an insignificant growth rate of 1.5 per cent in 1999, the industrial sector in Pakistan showed a growth of 13.4 per cent in 2003-04 and to over 17 per cent in the last fiscal year. It has pushed up the national economic growth and has increased the share of the industrial sector in the national economy to 24.5 per cent in 2004-05 from 23.1 per cent in 2002-03.

A senior government dignitary will inaugurate this conference on December 2 evening. Industries and Production Minister Jehangir Tareen in his key note address will share with participants the government’s vision to sustain the industrial growth.

The inaugural session will also be the Site export trophy awards distribution ceremony. The Site Association of Industry Chairman Mirza Baig will introduce and elaborate on the theme of the conference and Siraj Kassim Teli, a senior business leader, will speak on the subject.

The conference is being organized by private consultancy Mediators with the support of the Site Association of Industry and the Board of Investment. In the five working and a concluding session on December 3, Jehangir Tareen, prime minister’s advisor on finance Dr Salman Shah and Privatization Minister Dr Hafeez Sheikh will chair.