Punjab Provincial Secretary for Commerce and Investment Syed Tahir Raza Naqvi has said that the provincial government has taken many measures to strengthen private sector and offered maximum incentives to the sector so that it could play an effective role for the national development by increasing exports up to the world standards.
He expressed his views while addressing a one-day workshop on "Promotion of Core Labour and Quality Standards" organised on Tuesday by Punjab Resource Management Programme (PRMP).
Focusing on Sialkot, which is regarded as producing exports quality products such as sports goods, leather, surgical instruments and cutlery, he said due to non-compliance of international conventions and protocols had seriously damaged the exports of commodities, as developed states were gaining full multiple benefits by strengthening their links with global economy and Pakistan also had potential to become part of these states club by fully availing the existing opportunities for boosting its exports.
Punjab, particularly, with its production of cotton, textile, surgical, sports leather, cutlery and citrus can improve the overall situation by complying the international conventions and protocols, he added.
Tahir Raza emphasised on the need to create awareness among the private sector contributors about the seriousness and sensitivity of non-compliance of international conventions and protocols which has come up with serious implications.
Speaking on the occasion, the advisor Bonded Labour Ministry of Pakistan Tauqir Shah expressed the concern over the situation of child labour, gender issues, bonded labour, working conditions, education of workers children and issues of women at workplaces in Pakistan and said this negative situation was the direct conflict with the internationally ratified conventions and protocols.
Pakistan government in close collaboration with International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other institutes was taking valuable initiatives to control child labour in the country, he said, adding that meeting also other relevant standards by the private sector would contribute a lot towards improvement in Pakistan's ranking in international market.
Addressing the workshop Chief Technical Advisor UNIDO Zawdu Felleke pointed out that non-compliance to the requirements often results loss of market and last year Pakistan had to bear a loss of Rs 2 billion worth annual exports when the Nike cancelled its soccer balls export contract with SAGA sports Sialkot due to non-compliance of labour and safety standards.
The workshop was also addressed by Saeed Awan Director centre for Improvement of Working conditions, Dr Safdar Sohail director General Foreign Trade Institute and Asad Sumbal programme Director PRMP.