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(6th Session)

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT

————

“QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWERS AND THEIR REPLIES”

to be asked at a sitting of the National Assembly to be held on

Thursday, the 20th December, 2018

2. *Ch. Muhammad Shahbaz Babar:(Deferred on 10-12-2018)

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state the stepstaken by the Government to provide medical treatment and educationto children of diplomatic staff deputed abroad and total expendituresincurred every year under the said two heads?

Deferred for answer on Next Rota Day.

146. *Mr. Ahmad Hussain Deharr:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleased to state:

(a) the financial assistance provided for the improvementof Hockey during the last five years; and

(b) the steps being taken by the Government to generate funds atnational and international levels to promote the said game?

Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination (Dr. Fehmida Mirza):(a) Hockey is the National Game of Pakistan. Government of Pakistan has provideda sum of Rs.425,672,790/- (Rupees four hundred twenty five million six hundredseventy two thousand seven hundred ninety only) during the past 05 years toPakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), which is the premier entity for selection,training and coaching of hockey players and as well as to represent Pakistaninternationally.

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(b) The Federal Government is committed to promote our National game(Hockey) and providing annual as well as special grants in aid/financial assistanceas per budgetary resources. Additionally, PHF generates its own funds fromsponsorship/grants in aid from other sources as well.

147. *Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state thesteps being taken by the Government to increase trade betweenPakistan and Malaysia?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: Government of Pakistan hasundertaken various steps to enhance trade relations with Malaysia. These include;

Enhanced Market Access through a comprehensive FreeTrade Agreement.

The Malaysia- Pakistan Closer Economic Partnership Agreement(MPCEPA) was signed on 08-11-2007 at Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.It is operational from 1st January 2008. Pakistan has offeredconcessions to Malaysia in 6083 tariff lines. Malaysia on the otherhand has offered concession to Pakistan in 10593 tariff lines. Theagreement is comprehensive as it covers Goods, Services andInvestment in addition to Mutual Recognition arrangements tofacilitate entrepreneurs of both countries.

Export promotional activity through:

o Incoming and outgoing deletions:

The relations between the two sides is expected to receiveimpetus from the high level visit by the Prime Minister of Pakistanto Malaysia on 20-21 November, 2018.

o Exhibitions and fairs:

Pakistan participated in Malaysian International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), Malaysia, April, 2018.

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Arrangements are underway to participate in MalaysianInternational Halal Showcase (MIHAS), Malaysia in April 2019as well.

148. *Ms. Munawara Bibi Baloch:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleased tostate the steps being taken to improve the sports activitiesin Balochistan?

Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination (Dr. Fehmida Mirza):Government of Pakistan is committed for the promotion of sports in the country.However, in the aftermath of 18th Constitutional amendment, the ProvincialGovernments are mainly responsible for the promotion of sports and sports relatedinfrastructure in the respective provinces. The subject now, being domain ofGovernment of Balochistan, Federal Government is playing its role as thecoordinating agency. Recently, Government has notified a “Federal SportsCoordination Committee” headed by Minister for IPC with all Provincial SportsMinisters as members to ensure better and affective coordination for promotion ofsports.

149. *Ms. Uzma Riaz:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of Pakistani missions sent abroad during thelast three years alongwith the name of countries thereof;

(b) the total number of persons participated in missions abroadduring the said period alongwith the year-wise details thereof;and

(c) the year-wise total expenditure incurred on these missions duringthe said period?

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi):(a) The total number of Pakistani missions opened up abroad during thelast three years along with the name of countries thereof;

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To provide consular services to Pakistani nationals at their doorstep, thegovernment opened 01 Pakistani Consulate during the last three years.——————————————————————————————

Year of Name of MissionCreation

——————————————————————————————2017 Melbourne

——————————————————————————————(b) The total number of persons participated in missions abroad

during the said period along with the year-wise details thereof;——————————————————————————————

Serial Name of Mission BPS No. of StaffNo.

——————————————————————————————20 1

1 Melbourne 18 116 24 1

——————————————————————————————(c) The year-wise total expenditure incurred on these missions

during the said period?——————————————————————————————

Serial Name of Mission Year ExpenditureNo. (Pak Rupees)

——————————————————————————————

1 Melbourne 2017-2018 (Jul-Jun) 39,320,003/-2018-2019 (Jul-Nov) 12,902,643/-

——————————————————————————————150. *Ms. Shahida Rehmani:

(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleased to state:

(a) the steps being taken by the Government to promote Hockeyand Football at grass roots level; and

(b) whether it is a fact that the players who are our national herosare in pathetic condition and are compelled to earn theirlivelihood from Rikshaw and Taxi driving; if so, the steps beingtaken by the Government to assist these national heros?

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Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination (Dr. Fehmida Mirza):(a) The Federal Government is committed to promote Hockey & Football in thecountry. In order to promote these games at the grass root level, Governmentprovides regular annual grants, special & supplementary financial grants to theNational Sports Federations, which in turn take care of promotion & developmentof the games from grass root level.

(b) The impression is wrong. Government is committed for the wellbeingof our national sports heroes as they are pride of the county. In order to cater forwelfare and wellbeing of sportspersons, a scheme titled “Pakistan Culture, Arts &Sports Foundation” was launched in 1991 under the provisions of CharitableEndowment Act, 1890, to provide financial assistance to Artists, Artisans andSportspersons and their dependents in case of death, permanent disability, seriousillness as well as scholarships for educational purposes. The Scheme wasestablished with an endowment fund of Rs.30.000 million provided by the FederalGovernment.

Likewise, Government initiated the Pakistan Sports Foundation Relief Fundin August, 2007, with a view to provide financial assistance to sportspersons,exclusively.

The criteria/eligibility for financial assistance to the beneficiaries is given inrule 2 (b) of Pakistan Sports Foundation Relief Fund (PSFRF) Rules 2007, isreproduced below:

“Means the sportspersons of a recognized professional level of excellence”.

As a welfare step of former sports veterans, Pakistan Sports Board hasbeen paying stipend to the sportspersons/beneficiaries regularly @ 5,000/- permonth. The list of sportspersons/beneficiaries is enclosed at Annexure “ A”.

Additionally, the sports heroes are also bestowed with President’s Prideof Performance Award with handsome cash award every year that can also bereckoned as a wellbeing oriented step.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library).

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151. *Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state:

(a) the number of Pakistani doctors and consultants sent to Gulfcountries during the last five years; and

(b) the name of authority that recruits doctors for said countries inPakistan?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource, Development:(a) According to the statistics provided by Bureau of Emigration & OverseasEmployment (BE&OE) and Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), twodepartments of this Ministry, eight thousand four hundred and twelve (8412) doctorsand consultants were sent to Gulf countries during the last five years (2014-2018).

(b) There is no specific recruiting agency/authority that recruits doctorsfor the said countries.

Pakistani emigrants proceed abroad through licensed OverseasEmployment Promoters as well as on Direct Employment Visa.

Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment registers all those emigrantswho obtain foreign job through licensed Overseas Employment Promoters orthrough their own source which is called direct employment visa.

152. *Mr. Mohammad Iqbal Khan:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that the merger process of erstwhile FATA isslow and there is constitutional and legal crisis in erstwhile FATAdue to FCR and merger process; and

(b) the role being played by the Government to accelerate thisprocess?

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Minister for States and Frontier Regions: (a) Under the extensivepackage of FATA Reforms, a number of actions have been initiated in theadministrative, judicial, financial and security domains. The success of the entireexercise banks upon thorough deliberations and well thought out strategy to avoidhasty measures or any untoward situation. Furthermore, the Prime Minister ofPakistan has also constituted a Task Force on 4th September, 2018 forIdentification of Impediments & Facilitation of Merger of Erstwhile FATA & PATAwith Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to preemptively counter any constitutional andadministrative crises.

(b) Details of the actions taken by the Federal Government after themerger of FATA with KPK to accelerate the process are annexed.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library).

153. *Ms. Nusrat Wahid:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) the steps taken by the Government for promotion of exportsthrough product sophistication and enhancing shares in existingmarkets during the year 2017-18; and

(b) the steps being taken by the Government for promotion, intensivetrade diplomacy, trade facilitation and reducing cost of doingbusiness?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: (a) The following measures weretaken by the Government of Pakistan in Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF2015-18) for promotion of exports through product sophistication and enhancingshares in existing markets during the year 2017-18:

i. Product Development: Matching grant upto a maximum of Rs. 5(five) Million for specified plant and machinery or specified items toimprove product design and encourage innovation in SMEs andexport sectors of leather, pharmaceutical and fisheries.

ii. Brandings and Certification Development Support: Matchinggrant to facilitate the branding and certification for faster growth of the

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SME and export sector in Pakistan’s economy through IntellectualProperty Registration (including trade and service marks),Certification and Accreditation.

iii. Draw-back for local taxes and levies (DLTL): DLTL was beinggiven to exporters on free on board (FOB) value of their enhancedexports if increased by 10% and beyond (over last year’s exports)at the rate of upto 4% on increased exports.

iv. Technology Up-gradation: provided an incentive for technologyup-gradation in the shape of investment support of 20% and mark-up support of 50% upto a maximum of Rs. 1 (one) Million per annumper company for import of new plant and machinery for fans, home,appliances, rice, cutler and sports goods.

v Prime Minister’s Package of Incentive: under the PrimeMinister’s Export Package, the following measures have been takento diversify markets and to promote exports of non textile as well astextile sectors:

An Export Enhancement Package of PKR 180 billion applicablefor 18 months from 16th January, 2017 to 30th June 2018 wasapproved to facilitate exports of Gloves, football and othersports goods, leather garments, footwear, surgical, cutlery, yarn,fabrics, madeups and garments. This incentive for 2016-17was available for exporters without any condition of increase inexports. This incentive package continued in year 2017-18 forthe above mentioned sectors.

To further facilitate the exporters, the existing package has beencontinued in 2018-19 for next three years 2018-21 with theaddition of more non textile sectors like electric fans, transportequipment, auto parts & accessories, machinery includingelectric, furniture, stationary, fruits, vegetables, meat and meatpreparation’s to the existing sectors. This incentive also provides2% additional duty drawback to the above mentioned textileand non textile sectors on their exports to non-traditional markets(annex -I).

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(b) The Government is in the process of formulating the “StrategicTrade Policy Framework 2018-23”, “Trade related Investment PolicyStrategy 2018-23” and “National Tariff policy 2018-23” for trade facilitationand reducing cost of doing business on sustainable basis to achieve the followingobjectives:

Improving Competitiveness of Pakistan’s Export Sectors.

Tariffs Rationalization through structural reforms to make tariff aninstrument of trade policy rather than a revenue tool.

Marketing Pakistan’s geo-economic potential to attract investmentin export-oriented manufacturing.

Designing appropriate policies to facilitate the integration of Pakistan’seconomy into global value chain.

Leveraging Pakistan’s strategic and natural endowment to gain marketaccess through Free Trade Agreements.

Improving Export Eco System through meaningful facilitation of thebusiness community.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library).

154. *Mr. Muhammad Farooq Azam Malik:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased to state:

(a) the terms and conditions of accession of the state of Bahawalpurto Pakistan; and

(b) whether such terms and conditions were implemented in letterand spirit; if so, the details thereof; if not,  the steps being takenby the Government to implement the same in letter and spirit?

Minister for States and Frontier Regions: (a) Ameer of Bahawalpursigned the merger agreement of following terms and conditions:

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Ameer of Bahawalpur will be entitled to receive annually a sum ofRs. 32 Lacs as Privy Purse.

He will be entitled to the full ownership, use and enjoyment of allJewels, Jewelry, Ornaments, Shares, Securities and other PrivateProperties moveable or immoveable.

His Highness children’s shall be entitled to all the personal privileges,dignities and titles enjoyed by them.

His dependents will be entitled for the succession according to Lawand Custom of the state of Bahawalpur.

(b) Yes, the said terms and conditions has been implemented in letterand spirit.

155. *Ms. Nusrat Wahid:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) the quantity of cotton being exported to the other countries atpresent;

(b) whether it is a fact that cotton price is increasing in the worldmarket;

(c) if the answer to part (b) above is in affirmative, the steps beingtaken by the Government to improve the production as well asthe export of Pakistan’s cotton in world market?

Transferred to National Food Security and Research Division for answeron Next Rota Day.

156. *Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state whetherit is a fact that Pakistan has been concentrating on yarn and greigefabric; if so, the reasons thereof?

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Minister for Commerce and Textile: Textiles is a long value chainwhich passes through various stages of conversion i.e. fiber, ginning, yarn, greigefabric, processed fabric and ultimately transformed in to value added products.The exports of these semi processed commodities remained as follows in last fiveyears:

$ Million——————————————————————————————

2017-18 2013-14——————————————————————————————

Yarn 1,372 1,997Greige Fabric 1,288 1,541Sub-Total 2,660 3,538Total Textile 13,530 13,740Yarn and Greige Fabricas % of Total Textile 20% 26%Garments 5,299 4,203Garments as % of totalTextiles 39% 30%

——————————————————————————————Source: PBS

The share of semi processed raw materials has been decreasing while theshare of garments has been increasing as per policy to encourage value addedproducts to enhance value of exports.

157. *Mr. Ali Khan Jadoon:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) the details/products included in top 10 six-digit HS Codesexported from Pakistan in 2015-16; and

(b) the total percentage share of these exports in Pakistan’s and inglobal trade at present separately?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: (a) & (b) The details/productsincluded in top 10 six-digit HS Code exported from Pakistan during the year2015-16 and percentage share of these exports in Pakistan’s financial year 2017-18as well as in the global trade is given in the table below:

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158. *Mr. Muhammad Aslam Khan:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state thevolume of cotton exported from the country during the last threeyears?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: The volume of cotton exportedduring the last three years is given in the table below:——————————————————————————————

Financial Quantity Valueyear (MetricTons) (Million US$)

——————————————————————————————2015-16 49,550 76.6332016-17 25,462 43.5672017-18 35,262 58.227

Total of 3 110,274 178.427Years

——————————————————————————————Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

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159. *Syed Agha Rafiullah:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state the stepstaken by the Government to get a resolution passed under theCharter of the United Nations for resolving Kashmir issue incollaboration of Islamic World particularly and other friendlycountries generally?

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi):The dispute of Jammu and Kashmir is the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policyand the Government of Pakistan attaches immense significance to it.

The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is pending on the agenda of the UnitedNations Security Council, which has issued numerous resolutions on the dispute.Pakistan’s principled position for the settlement of Jammu and Kashmir dispute isbased on the UN Security Council Resolutions.

Pakistan also raises the Jammu and Kashmir dispute at the OIC forum onevery available opportunity. The OIC supports the right of the people of Jammuand Kashmir to self determination, as enshrined in the UN Security CouncilResolutions.

Due to Pakistan’s efforts, the Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir wasformed in 1994. The meetings of the Contact Group are held regularly on theside-lines of the OIC Summit, Council of Foreign Ministers, and the AnnualCoordination Meeting of the OIC Foreign Ministers in New York, to discuss allimportant aspects of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

Every year at the meeting of OIC Council of Ministers, resolutions onJammu and Kashmir dispute are adopted which reaffirm the rights of the Kashmiripeople to self-determination and condemn atrocities and human rights violationscommitted by the Indian occupation forces in IoK.

In the wake of grim human rights situation in IoK, the Foreign Ministerextends letters to UN Secretary General, President of UN Security Council, OICSecretary General in Jeddah and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights inGeneva, inviting their attention towards the atrocious Indian barbarities in IoK andurging them to play their role in ending bloodshed in IoK, and for the resolution ofJammu & Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.

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Similarly, the Foreign Minister has also written letters to the UN Secretary Generaland High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the ill treatment of Kashmirileaders like Mr. Shabbir Ahmed Shah at the hand of Indian security forces.

Pakistan will continue to extend moral, diplomatic and political support tothe people of Jammu and Kashmir until the realization of the just right to self-determination.

160. *Engr. Sabir Hussain Kaim Khani:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile  be pleased to state thesteps being taken by Government to improve Textile Sector inPakistan?

Minister for Commerce and Textile:

a. To reduce the cost of doing business the government has approvedfollowing for the export oriented sectors including textiles:

(i) Gas Price has been kept at Rs. 600 / mmbtu for export orientedsectors

(ii) RLNG tariff will be $6.5/mmbtu for export oriented sectors

(iii) Electricity will be provided at US Cents 7.5/kwh to exportoriented sectors

b. Release of approx. Rs. 13 billion for the Sales Tax, Custom DutyDrawback and Duty Drawback Scheme

c. Regulatory Duty on Cotton Yarn is reduced to 5%

d. Import of high quality cotton from Afghanistan/CAS through Torkhamborder allowed.

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161. *Mr. Saad Waseem:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government intends to review the existing FreeTrade Agreements (FTAs); if so, the details thereof;

(b) the details of such FTAs, which have negative impacts onPakistan’s economy and industries; and

(c) the steps being taken by the Government to address such issuesof said agreements?

 Minister for Commerce and Textile: (a) Pakistan has signed bilateral

free trade agreements (FTAs) with Sri Lanka, Malaysia and China. FTAs areconstantly under review by the Joint Trade Committees (JTC) which are establishedto oversee the implementation of the agreement. The JTCs meet at regular intervalsand discusses issues that come to light from time to time and range include thefollowing:

(a) Need for new arrangements due to evolution of the global tradescenario

(b) Erosion of margin of preference (MoP) consequent upon newbilateral arrangements of partner countries with their trading partners.

(c) Results of in-house analysis of trade regime with partner country.

(d) Concerns received from the domestic industry.

(e) The FTA partners can invoke the built-in provision for review besidesthe schedule of JTC in case of some emergent issue.

Pakistan has signed three bilateral FTAs with China, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

The China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) on Tradein Goods was signed on 24th November, 2006 and becameoperational since 1st July 2007. The CPFTA was envisaged to be

6th Rota Day (18) NA (S) 6th Session 2446 (18) On PC-096 by Hammad

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completed in two phases, and Phase I was to conclude in 2012.The negotiations on Phase II of the FTA, with the Chinesecounterparts was launched in 2011. Hitherto, 10 rounds have beencompleted with significant progress. Pakistan’s exports to China grewfrom US$ 575 million in the year 2006-07, US$ 1.74 billion in 2017-18.

The Malaysia- Pakistan Closer Economic PartnershipAgreement (MPCEPA) was signed on 08-11-2007 at KualaLumpur Malaysia. It is operational from lst January 2008. The firstmeeting of Malaysia-Pakistan Joint Review Committee (JRC) washeld on 12

th September, 2011. Three rounds have been held so far.

The last meeting of JRC was held on 27th -28th September, 2016,in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Pakistan’s exports to Malaysia havewitnessed an increase from US$ 81 million in 2006-07 to US$145million in 2017-18.

Pakistan-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (PSFTA) was signedon August 1, 2002 that became operational from 12th June 2005.Presently under this FTA, duties have phased out to “0” on all tarifflines except for the Negative list which has no concession. TheNegative list of Pakistan consists of 540 tariff lines at six digit levelwhile that of Sri Lanka contains a total of 697 tariff lines. Six technicallevel meetings have been held so far. The 6th Technical level meetingof PSFTA was held in January, 2016 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.Pakistan’s exports to Sri Lanka grew from US$155.830 million in2004­05 to US$ 289.6 million in 2017-18.

(b) In case of China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, in-house tradeanalysis revealed that the Margin of Preference granted to Pakistan under theCPFTA had eroded owing to the subsequent FTAs of China with other countries,whereas Margin of Preference granted by Pakistan to China remained intact.

In Malaysia-Pakistan Closer Economic Partnership Agreement, bothPakistan and Malaysia felt that the legal text of the agreement is somewhat outdatedand needs to be updated according to the new generation FTAs.

No major problem has come to light w.r.t Pakistan-Sri Lanka Free TradeAgreement and Pakistan enjoys trade surplus with the country.

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China: Pakistan and China started negotiations on the Phase II of CPFTAin 2011. Ten meetings have been held in this regard. In the initial meetings, Pakistanconveyed its concern over the erosion of Margin of Preference (MoP) due to thesubsequent Free Trade Agreements of China with other countries.

(c) The following steps were taken by the government to address issuesof the CPFTA:

o During the course of negotiations in CPFTA rounds, the alreadyagreed liberalization level of 90%, in terms of tariff lines and tradevalue in Phase I of CPFTA was strenuously renegotiated. It wasbrought down to 75% of tariff lines for both countries and 67% oftrade value for Pakistan and around 90% for China, thereby gettingan unprecedented non-reciprocity in favour of Pakistan.

o Pakistan requested the Chinese side to extend unilateral concessionson priority items of Pakistan’s interest to restore eroded margin ofpreference as a precondition to enter the Phase II of CPFTA.

o To give further comfort to the local manufacturers against any possibleinjury, the Safeguard Provisions under CPFTA were revised inentirety, securing best terms ever extended by China to any FTApartner.

o A clause to address Balance of Payments difficulties, which wasamiss in the Phase I, was agreed to be included in the Phase II ofCPFTA.

o In a bid to curb mis-declaration of goods and under invoicing, bothsides have implemented the Electronic Data Exchange (EDE) systemsince 30th April, 2018 and have further agreed to consider establishingmutually agreed mechanism to effectively address discrepancies foundin exchange information.

Malaysia: In the 2nd review meeting of MPCEPA held on 16th-17th June, 2015,in Islamabad, both sides agreed on the amendments that need to be incorporatedin the existing FTA text to bring it in line with modern texts. The Cabinet grantedapproval to the amendments in its meeting on 25th October 2017.

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162. *Ms. Mussarat Rafiq Mahesar:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that a large number of power looms andsizing sectors have been closed in the country especially in theSouthern Punjab during the last three years; if so, the reasonsthereof; and

(b) the total number of employees of the said sectors who lost jobstherefrom?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: (a) Power loom sector is mostlycottage based industry. Further, this industry consists of machinery that is eitherobsolete or has out lived its economic life. The year wise following data doesn’tshow any decline in cloth production.

000’Sqm____________________________________________________________

Year Mill Sector Non-Mill Sector Total_____________________________________________________________

2012-13 1,029,090 8,085,950 9,115,040

2013-14 1,036,100 8,088,750 9,124,850

2014-15 1,036,950 8,089,649 9,126,599

2015-18 1,039,183 8,120,122 9,159,305

2016-17 1,043,340 8,126,370 9,169,710

*2017-18 1,043,740 8,127,155 9,170,895____________________________________________________________* Provisional_____________________________________________________________

July-18 87,150 677,900 765,050

Aug-18 87,200 677,975 765,175____________________________________________________________Source: Textile Commissioner’s Organization, Karachi

(b) On basis of above available data on cloth production this statementis not endorsed.

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163. *Ms. Nuzhat Pathan:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state theamount of foreign exchange received from exports during the lastfive years?

 Minister for Commerce and Textile: The foreign exchange earned by

Pakistan from its exports during the last five years is indicated in the table below:____________________________________________________________

Financial Year Value (Billion US$)____________________________________________________________

2013-2014 25.1102014-2015 23.6672015-2016 20.7872016-2017 20.4222017-2018 23.212

____________________________________________________________Total of five years 113.198

____________________________________________________________

Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

164. *Mr. Aftab Jehangir:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state thetotal revenue earned from the imports during the year 2017-18alongwith the details thereof?

Transferred to Revenue Division for answer on Next Rota Day.

165. *Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased to state:

(a) how many Afghanis are currently residing in the country;

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(b) how many Afghanis have been granted Pakistan’s nationality;

(c) how many Afghanis have been repatriated by the Government;

(d) the prescribed procedure to retain Afghanis in the country? 

Minister for States and Frontier Regions: (a) At present, there arethree categories of Afghans living in Pakistan;

Registered Afghan POR card holders-1.38million

Newly documented Afghans (Afghan Citizen Card holders)-879million.

Un-registered Afghans- 0.5 million Estimated.

(b) Pertains to Ministry of Interior/NADRA.

(c) Under Tripartite Agreement signed between Governments ofAfghanistan, Pakistan and UNHCR, since 2002 to 2108 total 4.3 million Afghanrefugees including 14,017during the current year 2018 have been voluntarilyrepatriated to their country. (detail in supplementary material Annex-A).

(d) The registered Afghan have been given POI cards for their identitypurpose which allow them to stay temporarily in Pakistan till their voluntary returnto the country of their origin. This category of Afghans are being managed andrepatriated as per policy approved by Federal Cabinet from time to time.

During the currently year, the Federal Cabinet in its meeting on27th September, 2018 has granted extension up till 30th June, 2019 in the validityof POR and Tripartite Agreement.

Regarding Afghan Citizen Card holders (newly documented un-registeredAfghans) the overall, extension in the validity of ACC has been granted up-tillannounced up to Dec. 31, 2018, and further three months extension will becontingent on achievement of a set target of issuance of machine readable passportby Afghan Government as per mutual understanding of the both Governments.

ACC holders will have to voluntarily return to Afghanistan within the validityof the ACC, which is granted by the Federal Cabinet. After expiry of the validityof ACC whenever decided, the ACC holders will be considered as “Aliens” onthe soil of Pakistan and liable to be dealt with under the law of the land.

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Annex-A

Year-wise Repatriation Trend (PoR card holders)

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166. *Sheikh Rohale Asghar:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state thesteps being taken by the Government to increase the trade betweenPakistan and United Arab Emirates?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: Pakistan’s bilateral Trade withUAE increased by 13% and 1% in 2016-17 and 2017-18, respectively.The Exportsdecreased from US$ 803.5 Million in 2016-17 to US $800.87 Million in2017-18. However, the Imports increased from US$ 6682 Million in 2016-17 toUS$ 6730.8 Million in 2017-18.The aggregate trade structure of Pakistan UAEbilateral trade is as follows:

Aggregate Bilateral Annual Trade with UAEMillion $

____________________________________________________________ %Age Trade

Years Exports Imports Total Trade Growth____________________________________________________________

2013-14 1724.24 7634.56 9358.80 -2014-15 1053.45 6893.00 7946.45 -152015-16 896.75 5701.32 6598.07 -172016-17 803.59 6682.09 7485.68 132017-18 800.87 6730.82 7531.69 12017-18

(July-Nov) 294.48 2783.94 3078.42 -2018-19

(July-Nov) 290.96 3081.59 3372.55 10——————————————————————————————

Source :FBR

The Government has taken the following steps to increase the trade with UnitedArab Emirates:

Trade Diplomacy.

1. The ban on poultry and poultry products was imposed by UAE, on26th January 2004 due to outbreak of bird flu in Pakistan, which hasbeen lifted in 2017, with th efforts of Ministry of Commerce andMinistry of National Food Security & Research.Two poultry slaughterhouses i.e K&Ns and Big Bird and fifteen(15) companies producing

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poultry products such as eggs and processed food have beenregistered with the Ministry of Climate Change and EnvironmentUAE. Six(6) meat slaughter houses, duly registered with UAEAuthorities, are successfully operating in UAE.

2. In the follow-up of the PM’s visit to UAE in September 2018, atwenty member delegation on Investment from UAE , headed byH.E. Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, Minister of State and Director General/CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil company (ADNOC) and H.E.Mohammad Sharaf, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs andInternational Cooperation for Economic and Trade Affairs visitedPakistan on 26th October, 2018.

3. As an aftermath of the Investment Delegation from UAE, the Refiningand Petro Chemicals Division of Mubadala Petroleum andPetrochemicals is actively engaged for investment in Pakistan. Besidesexpansion in PARCO refinery, Mubadala is also conducting feasibilityof setting up LNG terminals in Pakistan, investments in PetroChemical Sector and setting up of strategic reserves in collaborationwith ADNOC. In a recent meeting with Ambassador of Pakistan toUAE, the Executive Director of the Refining Division, Mubadala,expressed his satisfaction on their investments in Pakistan and showedhis willingness to expand in future.

4. The Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce, Textiles, Industries &production and Investment visited Abu Dhabi on 27th October 2018to witness the signing ceremony of Participation Contract with EXPO2020 authorities.

5. An Investment Delegation comprising of Chairman BOI and Ministerof Maritime Affairs (Ports and Shipping) visited UAE on 6-8December 2018 and discussed the avenues of investment in Foodprocessing, Maritime services and Construction sector.

6. UAE Government has agreed to the holding of 12th session of thePak- UAE Joint Ministerial Commission on 14-15th Feb 2019.

Business Delegations and Exhibitions:

7. More than three delegations in the year 2018 were facilitated andthe International Buyers’ Recognition Awards by REAP, in Dubai,on 20th February 2018 in which the Minister for Commerce alsoparticipated.

8. Twenty business delegates participated in Expo 2017 from the UAE,including famous retail chain, Lulu Hyper Market and Al- TayyabMeat Co - which has started importing meat by sea, from Pakistan-

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promising a business of around US$ 333 Million due to the efforts ofCommercial Secretary Abu Dhabi and Commercial Counselor Dubai

9. Pakistan is participating in Expo 2020, which is a world expo, to beheld 20th October 2020 to 10th April 2021 in Dubai. Thepreparations are underway to make it a successful event for Pakistan.

10. Moreover, the list of Exhibitions held at UAE are at Annex- A.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library)

@15. *Ms. Aliya Kamran:

Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased to state:

(a) the details of reforms introduced in erstwhile FATA after itsmerger; and

(b) whether it is a fact that Peshawar High Court has deeclaredInterim Regulation 2018 invaild; if so, the details of laws enforcedoverthere at present?

Minister for States and Frontier Regions: (a) The details of Reformsmade in FATA after its merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are annexed.

(b) Yes. The Peshawar High Court in its Judgment dated 30th October,2018 has declared the notification dated 29th May, 2018, whereby FATA InterimGovernance Regulation, 2018, was promulgated, as ultra vires of the Constitution,to the extent of allowing the Commissioners to act as Judges; Council of Eldersdeciding Civil and Criminal matters; Constitution of Qaumi Jirga; Modifiedapplications of Chapters VIII and XLII of the Code for Security; Third Schedule;administered area, and after once month from the date of judgment, any decisionof Civil or Criminal nature would be void ab-initio.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court in a Human Right Case No. 70788 of2018, took cognizance and vide order dated 15th October, 2018, has held thatafter the 25th amendment to the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,1973, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the Provincially AdministeredTribal Areas shall be governed by the constitutional provisions and laws (provincialas well as federal laws) applicable in the Province of KP.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library)

ISLAMABAD: TAHIR HUSSAIN,The 19th December, 2018 Secretary.

________________________________@ Transferred from Law and Justice Division.

PCPPI—2446-(18) NA—19-12-2018—650.

1

(6th Session)

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT

————

“UNSTARRED QUESTIONS AND THEIR REPLIES”

For Thursday, the 20th December, 2018

3. Moulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali:(Deferred on 10-12-2018)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) the names of the employees working in the Ministry and itsattached departments/organizations/corporation; and

(b) the names of the officers working on dual charge simultaneouslyin the Ministry and its attached sub-ordinate wings/departments/organizations/corporations?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: (a) The reply of the CommerceDivision and its attached departments organizations under the administrative controlof Commerce Division is attached.

(b) The reply of the Commerce Division and its attached departmentsorganizations under the administrative control of Commerce Division is attached

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library).

44. Moulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) the make, model and engine power of Government vehiclespresently at the disposal of the Textile Division and its attacheddepartments/organizations/corporations alongwith the namesand Basic Pay Scales of the officers who are using these vehicles;and

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(b) the expenditure incurred on fuel, repair and maintenance of thesaid vehicles during the years 2013-2018?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: (a)

(b)

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library)

45. Moulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali:(Transferred from 5th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:    

(a) the make, model and engine power of Government vehiclespresently at the disposal of the Commerce Division and itsattached departments/organizations/corporations alongwith thenames and Basic Pay Scales of the officers who are using thesevehicles; and

    (b) the expenditure incurred on fuel, repair and maintenance of the

said vehicles during the years 2013 to 2018?

Reply not received.

3

@21. Mr. Mahesh Kumar Malani:

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state whetherthe Government is planning to revamp economic policy by consideringregional countries specially Afghanistan being an immediateneighbouring country as an attractive future export destination?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: Pakistan attaches high importanceto regional blocs and regional countries in revamping economic policy such asEconomic Cooperation Organization (ECO), Central Asian Republics (CARs)andAfghanistan. The overall bilateral trade of Pakistan with the ECO region has increasedfrom US$ 2598.78 million in 2016-17 to US$ 2942.93 million in 2017-18. Pakistanhas trade surplus with the ECO region with the exports US$ 1779.89 million andimports US$ 1163.04 million during 2017-18.

Pakistan’s exports to CARs accounted for US$ 100 million while importsfrom the region were at US$ 40 million during 2017-18.

Afghanistan is a neighbour and historical trade partner, hence prospectsfor Pakistan’s bilateral trade with Afghanistan are huge. Moreover, Afghanistan iskey to Pakistan’s access to Central Asian States. Although, Afghanistan’s Importshave declined in the past 4 years, still Pakistan is able to maintain a steady exports.Afghanistan is the 4th largest export destination for Pakistan after US (US$ 3.5billion), China (US$ 1.6 billion) and UK (US$ 1.5 billion) in 2017-18. Totalexport value from Pakistan to Afghanistan was US$ 1.2 billion in 2016-17 whichincreased to US$ 1.47 billion in 2017-18.

Afghanistan is one of the key markets and Ministry of Commerce intendsto attain the goal of export promotion through:

i. Trade diplomacy

ii. Policy formulations/ adjustments

iii. Trade/ Investment promotion activities

I. Trade Diplomacy

The future of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan will be shaped bythe evolution of trade throughout the region. China’s investment in Pakistan’s deep-@Transferred from Finance Division.

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water seaport at Gwadar and India’s partnership with Iran for Chabahar port,impact the optics and orientation of trade between the two sides. But Americansanctions on Iran have again proved to Afghanistan that Pakistan is essential toAfghanistan’s access to seaports. Afghanistan’s role in connecting Pakistan withthe Central Asian Republics is not less crucial. Successful movement towardsregionally integrated trade will rely on comparative advantages, as opposed toabsolute advantages in manufacturing.

Efforts for conclusion of the following agreements/ mechanisms will bemade to resolve issue and enhance trade:-

(a) Revision of APTTA, 2010 by harmonizing it with TIR Conventionfrom the platform of APTTCA

(b) Regular meetings of APTTCA

(c) Preferential Trade Agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan orEHP

(d) Tripartite Transit Trade Agreement between Pakistan, Afghanistanand Tajikistan

(e) Regular meetings of Pak-Afghan Joint Economic Commission(JEC)

(f) Regular meetings of Economic Working Group (EWG) of AfghanistanPakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS)

II. Policy formulations/adjustments

Pakistan provided unilateral concessions to Afghanistan in May 2018 ontheir request by removing Regulatory Duties on major Afghan exports to Pakistanto facilitate them and generate goodwill to bring them on table. Ministry is workingon the following to remove all issues in enhancing exports to Afghanistan:

(a) Investment Promotion activities

(b) Identification of Sectors for Joint Ventures

(c) Currently, Afghanistan’s sovereign and security risk is not bankableexcept by Afghan businessmen and that too for tenure of 2-3 years.

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Moreover, Afghanistan’s poor ranking of 166 out of 168 in the TransparencyInternational’s corruption index, 117 out of 189 in the ease of doing business in theWorld Banks’s Doing Business’ index also provides substantial disincentives toany foreign investment from Pakistan. Notwithstanding, what has been stated above,if all security and business related indicators drastically improve in Afghanistan, thefollowing sectors will be considered for Joint Ventures for investment:

Financial Sector which is nascent and dominated by banks

Telecom Sector has shown resilience in Afghanistan. It is a fastgrowing sector. Since 2002, the sector has attracted more thanUS$ 2.5 Billions in investment

According to estimates, Afghanistan possess more than a TrillionUS$ worth of Mineral and Metals. The Mineral Sector is, therefore,a very attractive sector with huge potential for growth and return oninvestment.

Afghanistan’s Infrastructure Industry is another area which has goodpotential for joint ventures with Pakistani firms. The Sector is hungryfor foreign investment, particularly in the sub-sectors like Energy &Highways

Construction Sector in Afghanistan is heavily reliant on foreigninvestment. The major portion of the construction industry is directedtowards defense facilities, road construction, private construction,Airports, Water Supply and educations & health facilities.

Commercial transport is a high growth sector in Afghanistan withhigh demand for both industrial material and consumer goods. Beinga transit route, Logistics Sector of Afghanistan provided lucrativeopportunities for Pakistani Investment.

III. Trade promotion activities & policy formulations/adjustments

(a) Buyers delegations to Pakistan

Regular support and facilitation is provided by the Commercial Sectionsto Afghan buyers, who visit Pakistan on daily basis. Such visits usually take placein group of 3-4 traders, for sourcing of food items, Fruits & Vegetables, Autoparts, Pharmaceuticals, rice and home appliances from Pakistan.

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(b) Pakistani exporter’s delegations to Afghanistan

Afghanistan is an extremely difficult place to plan or execute tradepromotion events. Ministry of Commerce proposes to work on organizing“Pakistan- Afghanistan Trade Fair” The trade fair may be held in any city ofPakistan, preferably Quetta or Karachi in 2018-19, to provide a platform toPakistani and Afghani exhibitors for participation and to display their products.

(c) Introduction of Pakistani products at special occasions likeIndependence and Pakistan Days etc. through productsampling/testing:

Provision of potential products along with list and contact details of itsproducers/ exporters for display in the Embassy premises at special occasions.

(d) Promotion of Services:

Afghan service sector is relatively difficult to assess. Based on WorldBank data, services accounted for about 50% of Afghan GDP and were quitedynamic compared to the rest of the economy. In year 2017, service sectorcontributed 52%. Its sub sectors include transportation, storage, telecommunication,banking finance, and both retail and wholesale trade with the remainder split almostequally between agricultural and industrial sectors.

There are many challenges in trading Pakistan’s service sector inAfghanistan. The pulling out of NATO forces, halt in the construction industry andreduction in foreign funding had a direct negative impact on the transportationsector of Afghanistan resulted in downfall of Afghan logistics companies and layoffs.Though Pakistan’s transport industry is yet taking a lot of advantage from Afghantransit trade i.e. 70­80 thousand containers/ trucks are carrying transit and exportgood into Afghanistan each year, however, its access is kept limited by governmentof Afghanistan up to Jalalabad and Spinboldak only. This will be taken up in withafghan side during any first available opportunity.

Keeping in view the general challenges of Afghan market, narrated in thepreceding paras, and some specific difficulties deliberately created for Pakistanby the present Afghan regime, Mode-2 (covers consumers or firms making use ofa service in another country). For example, through tourism is the only workableand practical way of promoting Pakistan service sector, and among it, the most

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potential is making use of Afghans medical tourism to Pakistan. In the past, Pakistanremained the top destination for Afghan medical tourism till 2016 because ofcommon culture and language, less expensive treatments than anywhere includingIndia, Afghans’ familiarity with Pakistani hospitals and doctors and also, they caneasily come by road to Pakistan at a lesser cost than taking the flight to India orany other country. After 2016, patients’ influx to Pakistan has considerablydecreased and diverted to India.

India is now benefiting a lot from the changed situation i.e.; bordermanagement policy of Pakistan, malfunctions in getting Pakistani visa, unnecessarysecurity checks at border crossing point, compulsory police report and securityclearance, bribes and blackmailing on security pretext, difficulties in getting doctors’appointments and accommodations etc. According to reports, thousands of Afghanstravel to India each month in search of medical treatment. Having said the above,Afghan patients yet prefer treatment in Pakistan. In nutshell, we have to organize,coordinate, facilitate and develop afghan health tourism to Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: TAHIR HUSSAIN,The 19th December, 2018. Secretary.

PCPPI—2446(18) NA—19-12-2018—650.