LETTER: That Business Recorder op-ed writer Bakhtiyar Kazmi is a prolific writer there is no doubt about it. In his latest op-ed titled "Exports-Deja Vu" for the newspaper he has made some very interesting points that are required to be taken into consideration by our policymakers in particular. He has, for example, argued, among other things, that "Without direct State intervention in controlling net trade and planning capital investment, we are not getting out of this economic mess ever. We may have periods of uptick, but more likely than not those will be followed by crises. In so many years, why could we not license a domestic investor to set up manufacturing in Pakistan, and thereafter have banned all, or put extremely excessive tariffs on, imports of mobile phones?"

It is true that no brand can become an international brand unless it first becomes a national brand. Samsung of South Korea, for example, became a global brand only after it earned the reputation of being a national brand. I don't think we could have achieved similar results had the state allowed any domestic investor, of course through a licence, to set up manufacturing of mobile phones in Pakistan. People across the world are becoming more prone to buying global brands rather than local brands because of a variety of reasons. Globalization has led the entire world towards becoming "ONE" market.

SAMAD KHAN (QUETTA)

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