The State Life Insurance Corporation's Executive Director, Zafar Mahmood has taken over the charge of Vice-Chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) on Thursday. He replaced Abid Javed Akbar, who has been transferred to the State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC). An officer of the district management group (DMG), Zafar Mahmood has a vast experience of trade. He has also served as Pakistan's Commercial Counsellor in Istanbul.
The newly appointed Vice-Chairman has been given a tremendous task of re-structuring the EPB under the World Trade Organisation (WTO)'s changing trade scenario after abolition of the textile quotas.
The main focus of the Export Promotion Bureau in the new scenario would be to take effective measures to help exporters in technological advancement to improve quality, productivity and ensuring the timely delivery.
The control of the textile directorate of the EPB, whose main job was to issue export license for the textile quota shipments for foreign countries, has been shifted to the newly established Ministry of Textiles, headed by Mushtaq Ali Cheema.
The textile directorate would continue to work at its present premises till the new ministry to have a proper building in Islamabad. The new ministry has assigned its Joint Secretary to sort out the working of the textile directorate under the new set up.One of the few achievements made by the outgoing vice chairman was the successful holding of the Expo-2005, which had attracted a large number of buyers and officials from abroad and boosted the country's image overseas.