Federal Commerce Minister Engineer Khurram Dastagir will lead a textile industry delegation to the US on March 13. The delegation will persuade the US authorities on trade concession in line with the GSP plus from the EU, said the industry sources. According to the sources, nominations from leading textile industry sectors have been finalised for the delegation right from the basic textile to value added industry.
The industry circles are hopeful about a FTA or a PTA with the US in the follow up of this visit. They said a strong follow up may bring positive change and both sides may enter into a FTA or PTA, though no immediate breakthrough is expected in present visit, they added.
It may be noted that the US government had offered Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in tribal areas of Pakistan in the middle of last decade. The textile exporters had pinned high hopes on this proposed scheme but the US Senate withdrew it and Pakistan was left in the lurch until the EU announced GSP plus for Pakistan.