Senate Standing Committee on Commerce on Thursday rejected draft Trade Policy 2015-18 tailored by the Commerce Ministry under the guidance of Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar, saying that the policy is not based on facts. Presiding over a meeting of the committee, Chairman of the committee Senator Shibli Faraz said that an unjustified delay in issuance of policy is a cause of concern to him.
Chairman Standing Committee, Shibli Faraz and Secretary Commerce Shahzad Arbab were visibly uneasy with each other on the issue of trade policy. "We will seek clarification from the Commerce Minister, Khurram Dastgir on this issue in the next meeting of the committee," said the committee.
Shibli Faraz maintained that Pakistan's exports are declining, adding that concerted steps are needed to stop this trend. The members of the committee raised several queries over Trade Development Authority of Pakistan's (TDAP) performance, saying that the authority has been awarded important responsibilities and steps need to be taken to further strengthen it.
Senator Saleem Mandviwala enquired about the recent decisions of the Board and said that it has not taken any important decision. The committee was informed that four extra members would also be included from the private sector to increase the numbers in the Board. The chairman standing committee argued that Pakistani products still have a place in different countries. The committee directed the TDAP to take steps to enhance capacity of Balochistan and KPK for production of different products and natural resources. The committee also urged that dates production be increased.
Commenting on financial irregularities in TDAP during the PPP government, the committee observed that there is a need to introduce a foolproof mechanism in the organisation to avert such incidents in future and affairs must be run in a transparent way. Senator Usman Kakar observed that the TDAP is completely ignoring provinces while sending delegations abroad. The committee sought details of delegations to ascertain how delegations were selected.
The committee further stated that the privatisation of State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC) should be done very carefully, adding that a joint meeting of SLIC and Privatisation Commission should be convened to get a detailed briefing. The committee recommended that training should be imparted to the employees of TDAP to enhance their capacity. Senator Salim Mandviwala, Senator Mufti Abdul Sattar, Senator Usman Khan Kakar, Senator Haji Saif Ullah and Senator Hilal ur-Rehman attended the meeting.