KARACHI, Jan 11: Leaders of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) and the North India Textile Mills Association (NITMA) decided on Tuesday to form group committees for drawing up a joint strategy to face challenges of the WTO regime.

The committees would work out a joint strategy on pricing, costing and quality of textile products. They will also hold video conferences and meetings on quarterly basis.

In a meeting here, Aptma Chairman Arif Saeed and NITMA President Shishir Jaipuria, who is currently leading a delegation to Pakistan, explored all possible avenues of cooperation in building up mutually beneficial business relationship.

A fax release of Aptma said the leaders of two textile bodies stressed that granting of non-reporting visas to the businessmen of India and Pakistan would enhance the volume of trade between the two countries.

The Aptma chairman gave the Indian textile team an overview of Pakistan's textile scenario and shared with them Pakistan textile's 2010 vision, stressing that Pakistan is well prepared to face the post apparel textile and clothing scene.

Shishir Jaipuria said that the main purpose of the visit was to develop an understanding with the Pakistan textile sector and evolve a joint strategy to meet the challenges of WTO.

The two sides stressed the need to take maximum advantages of the opportunities coming to India and Pakistan after the expiry of textile quota by exchanging information and data on textile industries of the two countries. The Indian delegation was taken around a local composite unit to have a closer look on the processes and machineries installed there.