SIALKOT, Nov 2: Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association chairman Ijaz A. Khokhar has announced the establishment of a training institute in the city to produce skilled labour force.

Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr Khokhar said the institute would be completed next year. He said the association had urged Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to announce a special package of incentives for garment industry from the Export Development Fund (EDF).

He said the country's garment exports could be enhanced to a great extent through the production of skilled labour force, especially, the skilled female force by focusing value addition and bringing about betterment in the quality of export items.

He said the PRGMEA had started mrchandize training for the first time in the history of Pakistan. He said the association had produced as many as 3,000 trained labourers for Karachi's garment industry.

He said the association had also planned to set up technical training institutes in country's all the big industrial cities.

He said small institutes would be set up in Daska, Sambrial, Pasrur, Chawinda, Zafarwal, Shakargarh and Narowal.

Mr Khokar said the government should discourage the export of raw material by focusing value-addition. He said Rs12 billion export fund could be utilized for the establishment of training institutes.

Criticizing the performance of commercial attaches, he suggested that the officials of commerce and customs groups should be deputed as attaches.

The PRGME A chairman urged the government to allocate a permanent seat for Sialkot at Export Board of Pakistan for the solution of problems being faced by the cottage industries.

PROTEST RALLY: The employees of Shakargarh health department on Tuesday took out a rally in protest against a robbery incident in the house of Narowal EDO (health) Dr Shaukat Salim Khalid in which he was shot and injured.

The protesters wore black armbands and held placards and banners demanding immediate arrest of the killers.