Upcoming national textile policy: 'Baig has no mandate to collect recommendations from industry'

Federal Textile Minister Rana Farooq Saeed on Friday said that Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig had no mandate to collect recommendations from the textile industry for national textile policy. Talking to Business Recorder Rana Farooq asserted that Dr Baig was advisor to the ministry and not the government of Pakistan on textile, as suggests the letterhead of Dr Baig.
"Dr Baig is advisor to the ministry and not the government and he still retains the advisorship of the textile ministry," said the minister. The federal textile minister is organising countrywide seminars on textile on the direction of the President Asif Ali Zardari before a final seminar at the presidency next month for evolving a comprehensive national textile policy.
Before visiting the textile millers from Lahore, he had visited Karachi and Hyderabad to get feedback of businessmen of these areas. The minister told he would also visit Faisalabad, Multan and Sialkot before concluding his consultation process.
It may be noted that Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, whose letterhead suggests that he is Federal Advisor on Textile, has also visited leading chambers of commerce & industry countrywide in December and collected recommendations regarding the upcoming national textile policy. Interestingly, Dr Baig had also mentioned in his interaction with the textile millers that he was due to call on President Asif Ali Zardari in first week of January to submit final recommendations regarding the expected national textile policy.
However, the minister said he had no information of any such initiative on the part of Dr Baig and his position was not more than an advisor to the textile ministry.
When pointed out that he was carrying out an exercise similar to what Dr Baig has already done and it is nothing but a wastage of time, the textile minister said he had no idea what Dr Baig had done and he was acting on the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari to interact with the sector for a national textile policy.
When asked what could be the volume of expected relief package for the textile sector in the wake of his consultation process, the minister said he would not share it with media prematurely. The minister also visited Pakistan Readymade Garments Technical Training Institute (PRGTTI) and listened to the issues of apparel sector.