KARACHI, July 31: Minister for Commerce Humayun Akhtar has constituted a task force to face ‘new challenges arising out of global trading regime’ after 2004.

According to a notification of the ministry of commerce, the members of the task force have been selected from almost all the ministries as well as the stakeholders from the private sector.

The ministry of commerce would serve as secretariat of the task force. The objective of the task force is to face the challenges of quota-free world market under WTO regime starting from January 1, 2005.

The chairman of the task force would be the commerce minister and secretary commerce Kamal Afsar would act as secretary. There would be 18 members representing different ministries and private sector stakeholders.

Members of the task force representing various ministries and government departments are: Tariq Iqbal Puri vice chairman EPB, Junaid Iqbal Ch, joint secretary, ministry of interior, Jawed Ali Khan, director general (environment), ministry of environment, Dr Asad M Khan director (EC), ministry of foreign affairs, Jehangir Sheikh, deputy secretary, ministry of communication, Idrees Ahmed, textile commissioner, ministry of industries, Raja Faiz-ul-Hassan Faiz, central labour adviser, ministry of labour and manpower & overseas Pakistanis.

There are 11 members representing different private sector organization: Ashraf Tabbani, chairman employers federation of Pakistan, Shabir Ahmed, former chairman, Pakistan Bedwear Exporters Association, Naseer A. Goher, general manager, SMEDA, Sheikh Ahmed Hussain, Nadeem Iqbal Sheikh, Ahmed Zulfiqar Hayat, Aleema Khan, Azfar Hasan, Mian Muhammad Latif and Muhammad Iqbal Ibrahim.