The Planning Commission (PC) has constituted a 'Task Force on Private Sector Development' to engage private sector in the national development process to increase the productivity of the sector and to meet global competition under the WTO.
The Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Salman Faruqui on Thursday constituted this task force comprising Pakistan's leading specialists with rich international experience in private and public sectors development.
Shahid Javed Burki, former advisor on finance and economic affairs and vice president, World Bank and Razaq Dawood, former federal minister for commerce and chairman, Descon, Engineering Ltd will lead the task force jointly. It will also come up with doable action plan for generating business opportunities for the private sector by enhancing its accessibility to undertake public sector services like water, energy, transport and communications.
The task force will ensure the participation of private sector in privatisation programme, besides trade promotion, industrial development, agro-based industry and increased access to finances and to new financial instruments.
The government, through the task force intends to prepare a national strategy private sector development in the country that will gradually help the government define its strategic thrust to address the constraints restricting the growth and competitiveness of the sector and devise policies to utilise its untapped potential.
Members of the task force on Private Sector Development are: Shahid Javed Burki, Former Advisor on Finance and Economic Affairs, and Vice President World Bank, Co-chairman, Razaq Dawood, Chairman Descon, Engineering Ltd, and Former Minister for Commerce, Co-chairman; Bashir Ali Mohammad, Chairman, Gul Ahmed Textile Mills Ltd, Member Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, Member; Tariq Saeed Saigol, Chairman, Kohinoor Textile and Mapple Leaf Group, Member Central Board of SBP and Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, Lahore, Member; Salim Ghauri, Chairman and CEO, Netsol Pvt Ltd, Member; Zakir Mehmood, President, Habib Bank Ltd, Member; Salim Raza,CEO, Pakistan Business Council, Member; Yawer Ali, Chairman, Nestle Pakistan Ltd, Member; Abdul Kader Jaffer, President and CEO, Pakistan Japan Business Forum, Member, Saddar-ud-Din Hashwani, Chairman Pakistan Services Ltd, Member, Saad Ahsanuddin, Private Equity Investment, Member, Dr Pervez Hasan, Former Chief Economist, World Bank, Member, Asad Omar, CEO, Engro Chemical Pakistan Ltd, Karachi, Member; Fauzia Najam, Former Senior Finance Officer, World Bank Member; Saqib Shirazi, President and CEO Atlas Honda Group, Member, Ijaz Nabi, Dean Social Studies, Lahore Institute of Management Sciences (Lums), Lahore, Member; Roshaneh Zafar, President, Kashaff Foundation, Member, Dr Rashid Amjad, Chief Economist, Planning Commission, Member and Secretary.
Ex-officio Members: President, Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chairman Board of Investment, Chief Executive, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue, Secretary Ministry of Commerce, Secretary Ministry of Production and Industries, Secretary Ministry of Privatisation and Secretary Planning and Development Division.