Overseas Pakistani Friends

SIALKOT: State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Shamshad Akhtar visited the newly-established Sialkot International Airport during her recent visit here.

Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL) Chairman Ch Ghulam Mustafa, Chief Executive Azeem Zafar, Senior Vice Chairman Dr Sarfraz Bashir, General Manager Muhammad Nawaz Ch and SIAL directors were also present on this occasion.

She said Sialkot International Airport would prove a milestone towards the stability of the national economy. After the completion of this mega project, she said, now Sialkot airport would open new vistas of economic development in the country and bring a boom in the industrial sector. The SBP governor said that it would also help in doubling the export from Sialkot to $2billion, annually from existing exports $1billion, thus catering to the need of the Pakistan’s first ever Golden Export Triangle comprising Sialkot, Gujrat and Gujranwala.

Dr Shamshad said the Sialkot business community had written a unique golden history of self-help by completing this mega project, advising others to replicate it.

Rs 1.7b approved for surgical sector’s uplift: The Federal Ministry for Industries has granted approval of direly needed funds of Rs 1.7 billion for the development and uplift of surgical sector in Sialkot.

Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association (SIMA) of Pakistan former Chairman Aamir Riaz Bhinder told newsmen here that the funds would be spent under a wide ranging strategy plan developed for surgical sector of Sialkot and the said strategy plan, a Common Facility Center (CFC) was proposed to be set up in Sialkot, which would provide state-of-the-art and latest machining facilities to the Sialkot’s surgical industry.

He said that hi-tech and modern machinery and equipment (which an individual exporter could not afford) would be installed in the Common Facility Centre (CFC) at Sialkot and any surgical instruments manufacturer and exporter would be able to utilise the services of proposed CFC.

He said a comprehensive marketing and brand development programme is also proposed under the project. The whole project is to be managed under the joint administration of the Ministry of Industries, SMEDA and Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association (SIMA) of Pakistan and had been realigned according to the actual needs and requirements of Sialkot-Pakistan’s surgical industry.

Bhinder said the Sialkot-Pakistan’s surgical industry was facing serious problems in finding the skilled labour force in different trade field especially in filing, grinding, polishing and fitting. To cater the problem, Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association (SIMA) of Pakistan in active collaboration with the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) has developed syllabus for training in the above mentioned trade fields of surgical industry. This training will be imparted at TEVTA managed training institutions, as a special subcommittee of SIMA was looking after this project.

SIMA for upgradation of Pak surgical industry: The Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association (SIMA) of Pakistan has sent the charter of demands of surgical industry to the federal government for the promotion and upgradation of Sialkot-Pakistan’s surgical industry.

SIMA’s former chairman Aamir Riaz Bhinder said that in the charter, the association demanded of the government that all types of raw-materials and stainless steel should be allowed for duty-free imports of surgical instruments from Sialkot-Pakistan, all the utilities such as electricity, gas, telephone and internet should be provided on flat rate without any surcharges or levies, export re-finance from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) should be given at maximum 3 percent rate. He said the SIMA had also urged the federal government that the loans from the commercial banks and other financial institutions should be given at maximum 6 per cent markup ratio, school of surgical training should immediately be established at Sialkot with Export Development Fund (EDF).

The school should be under the administration of federal Commerce Ministry and surgical association. SIMA has also demanded an effective policy for brand developing and promotion of surgical industry should be developed in liaison with Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and Pakistani embassies in abroad.

SIMA demanded a material bank’s early establishment at Sialkot to boost the surgical industry through the ensured availability of the raw materials. This bank should be under the joint control of the Commerce Ministry and SIMA.

Courtesy: The Post, 17/3/2008

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