Pakistan's Permanent Representative and Ambassador to WTO, Dr Manzoor Ahmad on Friday said that being textile and cotton exporter, we are very positively and constructively interested in concluding the Doha Round.
He said if the round was not finished this year it might be extended for few months and Pakistan would emerge a loser as its products were facing high tariffs in developed countries' market particularly in the US and EU.
While speaking at an interactive meeting with civil society organisations, held by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad, Dr Manzoor Ahmad briefed the participants about the Doha Round negotiations. He also highlighted the implications and benefits of some decisions of the negotiations for Pakistan.
He elaborated on recent developments in the Doha Round negotiations in the areas of agriculture, industry and services. After giving the background of WTO and different rounds of its negotiations, he highlighted the implications and benefits of some decisions of the negotiations for Pakistan.
Welcoming the comments from civil society, the envoy called for quality research and feedback on the issues of Pakistan's interest. He said that the reduction in tariffs could lead Pakistan towards more agricultural value-addition, which is presently very low.
Expressing optimism, Dr Manzoor said that the greater market access of textile and clothing sector under the current round of negotiations on industrial goods would benefit Pakistan a lot. He said that these benefits from market access should be seen and calculated in terms of the whole package at the conclusion of the round.
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