ISLAMABAD, Sept 12: Industries and Production Ministry’s Secretary Suleman Ghani has said that the government has chalked out a comprehensive strategy to update the engineering sector and skills of Pakistan’s engineers for the development of the industrial sector.

He was speaking at the inaugural session of a leading executive workshop on “Key role of engineering sector in progressive industrialization of Pakistan” here on Monday organized by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in collaboration with the ministry of industries and production and the Pakistan Japan Business Forum.

The workshop is aimed at providing a platform to the technology providers, investors, local industrialists, specialists in engineering and technology and leaders of engineering industries.

“It is need of the hour that we should take benefit from Japan’s assistance in the field of engineering development and improve our skills, technology and state of art,” he said and added that the objective of this workshop was to explore technologies for progressive industrialization in Pakistan.

He maintained that the government had taken certain initiatives to safeguard the interest of local as well as foreign investors. The private sector could avail opportunities in updating the engineering sector. The Engineering Development Board (EDB) was already working in this regard, he added. The secretary said that as Pakistan’s top donor, Japan had succeeded in developing ties of genuine trust with Pakistan through its development cooperation.

Pakistan, he said, had also been highly appreciative of Japan’s efforts to respond positively and actively to industrialization of the engineering sector, especially the automobile sector.

“There is a need to target automobile manufacturing producing high quality low cost and competitive automobiles by capitalizing on the diligent labour force and the cheap cost of labour,” he said.

Dr Koichi Shimokawe, professor of Tokaigakuen University, Japan, in his paper presented his view on future perspective and challenging issues of Pakistan’s automobile industry in the global age.