ISLAMABAD, Aug 5: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday asked the Export Promotion Bureau to come up with practical proposals to restructure the bureau as a marketing organization for introducing Pakistani brands in the international market. Officials told Dawn that the prime minister also directed EPB Chairman Tariq Ikram for reworking on the proposed restructuring plan of the organization and coming up with comprehensive proposals within seven days.

The prime minister was presiding over a meeting attended by Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan, State Bank Governor Dr Ishrat Husain, Commerce Secretary Tanseem Noorani and other senior officials. The premier said the policy regarding export would remain with the commerce ministry under the new organization. The new organization would only focus on the promotion of export. Mr Aziz directed that the proposals must contain clear objectives of the organization along with targets to be achieved during the years to come.

The prime minister was astonished to learn that the proposals worked out during the last three years for revamping of the EPB did not contain any objective or target but only laid focus on the infrastructure development, added the officials. An official announcement issued after the meeting said that prime minister observed that the EPB should be restructured as a marketing organization with a view to promoting Pakistani brands everywhere.

Talking to Dawn, the EPB chairman, however, said that the prime minister approved the proposal to convert the EPB into the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) with a policy board and a TDAP board.