Deputy High Commissioner, United Kingdom, Robert W Gibson visiting Site Association of Industry (SAI) said that preferential access to UK market for Pakistani goods is subject to EU Trade Policy, while responding to the suggestions by members of SAI that UK should provide Pakistan market access on privilege basis in present difficult economic situation faced by Pakistan due to engaging in the war against terror.
He identified that Pakistan is the most potential country for trade and said that the strength of the country is human resources shared by young people as 50 percent of the working labour force in Pakistan.
The Dy. High Commissioner said that UK intends to participate in meeting the requirements of energy sector development in Pakistan and with given history we have more than 100 companies of UK in Pakistan having record for the last 10 years as four top UK origin investors.
He said that UK has increased the aid from 500 million Pounds Sterling to 660 million Pounds Sterling for next 3 years due to recognise needs of Pakistan in education and health improvements. Robert W. Gibson responding to difficulties faced by visa applicants said that our diplomatic missions can not exercise influence on the immigration officers making decisions on grant of visas. He said that even in this situation 10,000 visas are issued to students yearly for studying in UK.
Chairman SAI, Engr. M. A. Jabbar apprised Robert W. Gibson about the trade statistics between Pakistan and UK and said that total import and export of Pakistan to UK is about US$ 2 billion as of 07-08 in the trade economy of UK which is over US$ 1000 billion on year basis.
He said that we have a meager share in the trade volume of UK needs to be improved through market access and needful improvement of competitiveness of our products against our competitors who enjoy tariff concession on one or other reason in UK. Advisor to CM, Zubair Motiwala, on Investments said that we would look forward for trade and not the aid while referring to the increase in aid by UK. He said that aid will not sustain our developments, which are held up for want of market access in EU to include UK also.-PR
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