The Joint Study Group (JSG) of Pakistan and Japan has agreed to further hold consultation on areas of co-operation and submit their respective reports again next month to be finalised by February 2009.
Both sides during their two days meeting held at the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry presented proposals for co-operation to help Pakistan to address the challenges the South Asian country's has been facing due to the financial crisis around the region.
"Almost both sides had consensus on major areas, except on FTA which would be sorted out after mutual consultations", the Minister Economic at Pakistan Embassy told APP in an interview on Friday.
During course of meeting Japanese side stressed the need in areas to be given priority like agriculture, water resources, traditional industries like textile, rice, mango, vocational and technical training, infrastructure development that included energy and communication, sustainable development through industrialisation, high tech-value added products, Free Trade Agreement, public and private partnership, political stability and improvement in law and order situation.
The Pakistani side emphasised for development of key industries, like steel mills, ports and shipping, chemical industries, development of textile industry as well as its transformation into a value added goods, promotion and spread of education, FTA, policies towards Foreign Direct Investments and energy sector development.
The Japanese asked Pakistanis side to give some time to further review these proposals and both sides agreed to exchange the draft report next month for giving a final shape in February next year.
A 10-member Pakistani team was led by Abdul Qadir Jaffar, Chairman Pakistan-Japan Business Forum included experts and professionals from IBA, while Makoto Kakebyashi, the Chairman Pakistan-Japan Study Group headed Japanese delegation. The Minister Economic at Pakistan Embassy, Iftikhar Babar represented as observer from Government of Pakistan.
Iftikhar Babar also presented a proposal to the JSG regarding setting up of Special Economic Zone in Karachi and said that it would help to play a critical role in rapid industrialisation of Pakistan and in boosting country's exports.
The proposal was highly appreciated by the Japanese side and said that they would get due weightage in its main report. The JSG was constituted at the High Level Dialogue Meeting held between the two governments in July, 2007 to help in devising a strategy for realisation of goals as enunciated in Pakistan's Vision-2030.
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