Date : JUNE 23, 1997

MR IQBAL MIRZA

SENIOR COMMERCE REPORTER

BUSINESS RECORDER

KARACHI

On February 27, 1997 we arrived in Dhaka from Karachi alongwith Mr Ahsanullah Khan, Vice President Employers’ Federation of Pakistan and Mr Pervaiz Malik, Member of the EFP M/C who is now a MNA from NA - 93 Lahore (elected unopposed in the bye-elections on the seat vacated by Premier Nawaz Sharif). We were joined by two more members from EFP in Dhaka. We all were representing Pakistan at the South Asian Employers’ Symposium on Globalization.

In the evening, the Bangladesh Employers’ Association arranged for all delegates to visit the Dhaka International Fair. We all went in three vans. There were delegates from Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, plus ILO representatives and some Bangladeshis. We saw a huge crowd enjoying the fair and buying Bangladeshi products which were quite impressive and which proved that this country is moving steadily on the avenue of progress. There were also stalls and exhibits from other countries too and there were visitors eager to see what the world had to offer.

Naturally, being patriotic Pakistanys, we made a beeline for the area where the Pakistany products were displayed. What we witnessed there made our hearts sink and we just couldn’t bear to see our fellow delegates in the eye. We literally saw "junk" being sold and that it seemed that this country after 50 years is still exporting products that even the Rwandans and the pygmies in Deep Africa would not give two hoots for.

We saw empty stalls or stalls with just a few pieces, we saw cheap plastic flowers and other artifacts, we saw the hackneyed marble curios, and we saw fabrics that even the washing maid in the neighbor’s house would not take it for free. There was no uniformity of stalls, there was no cohesion, and there was total absence of anything "special" from Pakistan. We were sure that the Bangladeshis must be thanking their stars that they "separated" from the Western wing more than a generation ago.

We took some pictures which we are also sending to you and which will, to some extent, prove not only our point but the contention of His Excellency, the High Commissioner from the brotherly country of Bangladesh. It is really a fact that the Pakistan pavilion looked straight out of the Juma Bazar scene (or is it Sunday Bazar now ?).

We can honestly state here that there is definitely something rotten in Denmark, if you know what we mean. There has to be a better procedure of selecting the exhibitors and their products. There has to be some accountability why we always manage to make a mess of things. There has to be a process where we can get pragmatic answers from FPCCI and EPB regarding this issue and in fact of every delegation going to foreign lands to sell our products. We feel that this kind of participation is one very major reason why the nation’s exports have literally gone to the dogs and we cannot break the magical barrier of US$ 10 billion. No wonder our exports barely manage to reach a little over US$ 8 billion inspite of the efforts of the whole government machinery, MoC, EPB, FPCCI, the export associations, the chambers, the trade leaders, and most of all The Man whose dream of US$ 10 billion announced in 1990 is still as elusive as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

We should all learn a lesson here. If we continue to tarnish the country’s name by sending "khepias" to export for us, maybe then we better brace ourselves for the worst deficit in our 50 years of existence. These "exporters" do not remit the moolah they earn in foreign lands, anyways. If we continue to allow junk and shoddy goods to be exhibited in faraway lands and we allow vested interests to make a windfall and also to have a joyride to alien lands, then we have no one but ourselves to blame. If we continue to neglect this process of sending bona fide exporters and take the short route of sending those who are near and dear ones or can offer inducements for their participation in these fairs, then we better shine the "begging bowl" and dispatch Senator Sartaj Aziz and the State Bank’s good doctor to the IMF and World Bank so that not only the Motorway is ready for service but also we can be the marketplace for the foreigner’s products. The MoC is looking for a Chairman for EPB from the private sector. Maybe we should suggest an experienced "khepia" who can do this job with ease and aplomb. An experienced "khepia" is one who travels to Dubai, Bangkok, and Bombay every week without fail. Check the passports and the hunt will be over. You do not need a highly trained, computer literate, Ph.D. from USA or England. No sir. In fact, we suggest to the Premier to hold a conference of "khepias" in Islamabad and they can teach him how to export more and how to earn more. That’s the only Task Force which will be effective, productive, and realistic.

We are glad that you have highlighted this issue in detail for which we offer our compliments to you and the Hon’ble Editor.

Sincerely :

MAJYD AZIZ