national assembly secretariat ———— “questions for … · employment maintains the...

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(30th 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

Friday, the 18th March, 2016

15. *Sahibzada Tariq Ullah: (Deferred during 27th Session)

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

(a) whether it is a fact that a large number of Pakistanis deportedfrom foreign countries were sent by agents since 1-1-2013; if so,the names of agents thereof; and

(b) the actions taken against said agents so far?

Transferred to Interior Division for answer on next rota day.

147. *Ms. Munaza Hassan: (Deferred during 27th Session)


(a) whether it is a fact that Pakistan is amongst the top tencotton producing countries by using forced child labour;

(b) whether it is also a fact that use of the pesticides is causing lifethreatening harms to the said children;

(c) if the answers to part (a) and (b) above are in the affirmative,the steps taken by the Government to address the said issue?

Admissibility is being re-considered.

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158. *Mr. Ali Muhammad Khan: (Deferred during 27th Session)


(a) the mechanism being adopted to check and ensure 100%implementation on minimum wage payment announced by theGovernment for the labourers of registered and un-documentedindustries or other work places; and

(b) whether Government conducted any survey to obtain exactfigure/data thereof during its tenure; if so, the details alongwiththe action taken against violators thereof?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment (Pir Syed Sadaruddin Shah Rashidi): (a) & (b) Consequent to18th Constitutional Amendment, the subject of labour, including minimum wageimplementation, has been devolved to the provinces. Implementation of minimumwage to the extent of Islamabad Capital Territory lies with the Ministry of Interior(Directorate of Labour under ICT Chief Commissioner’s Office). ProvincialGovernments and ICT Administration (Ministry of Interior) have the mandate toimplement minimum wage as well as conduct surveys and prosecute violators.

97. *Ms. Shamas Un Nisa: (Deferred during 28th Session)

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

(a) the total number of Afghans being entered in Pakistan daily atpresent; and

(b) whether there is any mechanism to check their activities; if so,the details thereof?

Transferred to Interior Division for answer on next rota day.

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135. *Mr. Muhammad Muzammil Qureshi: (Deferred during 28th Session)


(a) the total number of raids made and searches conducted, personsarrested for violations of child labour laws and child labourersrescued therefrom during the last three years till date; and

(b) the other measures taken by the present Government for thecomplete eradication of child labour in the country?

Admissibility is being re-considered.


Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state:

(a) the province and district-wise total number of Pakistanisresiding/working in Saudi Arabia at present;

(b) the total number of Pakistanis beheaded in the said countryunder various cases during the last five years; and

(c) the steps taken by the Government to check the incidents/reasons for beheading of said Pakistanis?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) The Bureau of Emigration and Overseas

Employment maintains the province and district-wise data of Pakistanis, who haveproceeded abroad for employment. However, province-wise and district-wisedata for each country is not maintained by the Bureau of Emigration.

(b) According to available record of last three years, 41 Pakistanis havebeen executed in Saudi Arabia. Out of the 41 executions, 38 were convicted ondrug trafficking while 3 on murder charges.

(c) Since most of the capital punishment carried out against our nationalshave been on drugs trafficking charges, the Anti Narcotics Division responsible tointerdict the drugs trafficking has introduced stricter measures to control the drugstrafficking from Pakistan.

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218. *Ms. Shamas Un Nisa: (Deferred during 29th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state whether it is afact that Pakistan has retrogressed from 136 to 138 number amongstthe business countries; if so, the reasons thereof?

Transferred to Prime Minister’s office for answer on next rota day.

223. *Ms. Khalida Mansoor: (Deferred during 29th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that almost 100 tons of Gypsum is beingexported to India daily; and

(b) whether it is also a fact that the said Gypsum is being exportedat extremely cheaper price i.e 20 to 22 dollars per ton; if so, thereasons thereof?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): (a)Approximately 2,700 metric tons of Gypsum is being exported to India on dailybasis through Wagha, Lahore from 01-07-2015 till date.

(b) Gypsum is being exported to India in ‘crushed loose form’ with valueupto USD 22 per metric ton. This low value may be ascribed to lack of valueaddition. It is pertinent to mention that India is importing Gypsum from Oman atUSD 18 per ton.


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

(a) the steps taken by the Government for promotion anddevelopment of the present tourists spots in the country duringthe last three years; and

(b) whether there is any proposal under consideration of theGovernment to establish new tourist resorts in the country; ifso, the locations thereof?

Transferred to Cabinet Division for answer on next rota day.

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91. *Ms. Belum Hasnain:

Will the Minister for Textile Industry be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that the prices of cotton seed are different inPunjab and Sindh; if so, the reasons thereof; and

(b) the total quantity of cotton seed produced by the said provincesduring the last three years alongwith the province-wise detailsthereof?

Transferred to National Food Security and Research Division for answeron next rota day.

92. *Ms. Belum Hasnain:


(a) the total amount spent on Foreign Missions abroad during thelast five years till date; and

(b) whether it is a fact that the amount being spent by said Missionsis increasing inspite of the austerity measures adopted to decreaseit; if so, reasons thereof?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) The expenditure incurred on all PakistanMissions Abroad during the last five financial years from 2010-11 to 2014-15 andtill January, 2016 is under:

Amount in Pak. Rupee——————————————————————————————

Sr. No. Financial Year Expenditure——————————————————————————————

1. 2010-11 8,351,776,625.002. 2011-12 9,437,446,535.003. 2012-13 10,447,832,371.004. 2013-14 11,115,689,114.005. 2014-15 10,949,927,686.006. 2015-16 6,034,157,848.00

(upto January 2016)——————————————————————————————

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(b) During the past five years, increase in expenditure is due to thefollowing factors:

(i) The principal reason relates to devaluation of Pak. Rupee vs US dollar.Our Missions abroad are incurring expenditure mainly in US dollarsand other foreign currencies. The Pak. Rupee has depreciated againstUS dollar by 22.43% during last five years and upto February, 2016.

(ii) Revision of pay-scales in 2011 and 2015;

(iii) Increase in pay of local based staff employed by Pak. Missions abroadaccording to local laws of respective country;

(iv) Periodical increase in rental costs of the properties hired by theEmbassies.

(v) Additional expenditure for beefing up the security of PakistanMissions abroad.

However, Government’s austerity measures relating to purchases, repairs/maintenance and utilities are being followed by all Pakistan Missions abroad. As aresult actual expenditure in terms of dollar in 2014-15 is lower than the precedingyear.

93. *Ms. Sajida Begum:


(a) the total number of Pakistanis imprisoned in the jails of AfricanCountries at present; and

(b) the allegations levelled against them?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: Requisite information on Pakistanisimprisoned in jails of the African countries is as follows:——————————————————————————————

Country Number of Pakistanis AllegationsImprisoned

——————————————————————————————Ethiopia 01 Sexual offenceSenegal 01 Stealing Scrap MaterialTanzania 09 Drug possession and trafficking chargesZimbabwe 01 Criminal charges (Homicidal attack)Kenya 07 Drug trafficking charges

——————————————————————————————

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——————————————————————————————Country Number of Pakistanis Allegations

Imprisoned——————————————————————————————

Uganda 03 Double Murder ChargesRwanda 01 Theft/hacking accounts chargesSouth Africa 44 Rape, Robbery, Fraud and Forgery,

Murder, kidnapping/Man-stealing,Assault

Libya 01 Attempting illegal immigration to EuropeSudan 01 Illegal immigration

—————————————————————————————— Total: 69

——————————————————————————————94. *Ms. Sajida Begum:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to refer to StarredQuestion No.252, replied on 17-02-2016 and to state the advantagesto be achieved by Pakistan to participate into the alliance of 34Muslim Countries with Saudi Arabia?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: Pakistan has consistently supported allregional and international efforts to combat militancy, extremism and terrorism.Since the key objective of the Alliance is to counter the threat posed by terroristgroups, Pakistan has joined the Alliance. Operation Zarb e Azb is helping to fightterrorist groups within the country. Pakistan is expected to share its counter terrorismexperience with other interested member countries.

95. *Mrs. Shahida Rehmani:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state whether it isa fact that Pakistan and China are negotiating for launching differentprojects of development in Pakistan; if so, the details thereof?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: Pakistan and China enjoy close, cordialand cooperative relations. Our cooperation with China is multi-faceted, under theframework of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The CPEC entailsgreater connectivity and trade linkages between Pakistan and China through anetwork of road, rail, fiber optic cable and energy pipelines. The four cooperationareas under the ambit of CPEC are energy, transport and infrastructure, Gwdar

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and Industrial Investment. The development projects include Gwdar Portdevelopment, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Industrial Parks and social sectorprojects such as hospital, school etc.

2. Apart from CPEC, we are collaborating with China under the PakistanChina Five Year Development Programme in agriculture, irrigation, energy,infrastructure development, railways, trade, investment, science and technologyand people-to-people contacts.

3. Recently, the Prime Minister inaugurated the solar power project forthe Parliament buildings. All energy needs of the Parliament buildings have beenshifted on solar power with the assistance from China.

96. *Mrs. Shahida Rehmani:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state the year-wise total number of personssent abroad for employments by the Overseas EmploymentCorporation during the period from 01-01-2011 to 01-06-2013?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment (Pir Syed Sadaruddin Shah Rashidi): Overseas EmploymentCorporation is an autonomous organization of this Ministry. it has sent 2982 personsduring the period from 01-01-2011 to 01-6-2013. The year-wise break-up is atannex-A.

Annexure ‘A’.

OVERSEAS EMPLOYMENT CORPORATION

STATEMENT SHOWING COUNTRY AND CLENDAR YEAR-WISENUMBER OF PERSONS PROCESSED FOR FOREIGN

EMPLOYMENT THROUGH OECDURING 01ST JANUARY TO 31ST MAY, 2013

——————————————————————————————NUMBER OF PERSONS PROCESSED BY OEC

——————————————————————————————S.# COUNTRY 2011 2012 2013 TOTAL

——————————————————————————————1. Bahrain 3 2 - 52. Ethiopia - - 40 403. Libya 15 29 19 63

——————————————————————————————

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——————————————————————————————S.# COUNTRY 2011 2012 2013 TOTAL

——————————————————————————————4. Oman 88 21 13 1225. Qatar - - 5 56. Saudi Arabia 768 206 105 10797. South Korea 444 747 448 16398. U.A.E. 20 9 - 29

——————————————————————————————TOTAL:— 1338 1014 630 2982

——————————————————————————————97. *Ms. Suraiya Jatoi:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state whether there is any proposal underconsideration of the Government to establish more vocational traininginstitutes in the country?

Transferred to Federal Education and Professional Training Division foranswer on next rota day.

98. *Ms. Suraiya Jatoi:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state the Pakistan’spresent stance on Syria situation?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: Pakistan’s Stance on Syrian Crisis

Pakistan has always maintained a principled position on Syria based on,impartiality and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria. Pakistansupports all efforts employed at facilitating a peaceful Syrian-led solution that meetsthe aspirations of the people of Syria through a comprehensive political dialogueamong the Syrians. Pakistan appreciates Syria’s compliance with the stipulationsof the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Pakistan fully supports the UN Security Council resolution 2254 whichadvocates for a political solution of Syrian crisis. We sincerely wish for the successof Geneva peace talks on Syria, also known as Geneva III, between the oppositionand government of Syria. We hope that Syrian government and opposition groupswould exercise restraint and settle their differences peacefully.

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Pakistan has welcomed the agreement reached between Russia and theUnited States at Munich on 21 Feb. 2016 for a nation-wide cessation of hostilitiesw.e.f. 27 Feb. 2016. We wish to see that the ceasefire is implemented in letter andspirit.

There is an urgent need that humanitarian aid is delivered to the besiegedareas and the Syrian refugees crisis is addressed to alleviate the sufferings of theSyrian people.

99. *Ms. Musarat Rafique Mahesar:

Will the Minister for Textile Industry be pleased to state the year-wise cotton produced in the country during the last five years?

Minister for Textile Industry: The cotton production during the lastfive year is as under:———————————————————————————————

Year Area Production Yield(Mil.ha) (Mil.Bales) (kg/ha)

——————————————————————————————2014-15 2.961 13.983 8022013-14 2.806 12.769 7732012-13 2.879 13.031 7692011-12 2.835 13.595 8152010-11 2.689 11.460 7252009-10 3.106 12.914 695

——————————————————————————————Source: Economic Survey of Pakistan.

100. *Ms. Musarat Rafique Mahesar:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state the names and locations of thehousing schemes launched by the Overseas PakistanisFoundation during the last three years?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource

Development (Pir Syed Sadaruddin Shah Rashidi): During the last three years,OPF has launched a Housing Schemes phase-I Extension at Lahore. The schemeis located at Khyaban-e-Jinnah, 3 kilometer from Shaukat Khanum Hospital Lahore.

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101. *Ms. Shamas Un Nisa:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state the stepstaken by the present Government to enhance cooperation andcoordination among Islamic countries?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation(OIC) provides an important forum to Muslim countries for enhancingcooperation and coordination in political, economic, social, scientific and culturalfields. As a founding member of the OIC, Pakistan has always played an activerole in promoting harmony and nurturing common positions in the collectiveinterest of the Muslim countries.

Pakistan has also contributed in evolving OIC common position on issuessuch as Islamophobia, defamation of religion, and treatment of Muslimsworld-wide. In 2015, Pakistan, as the Coordinator of the OIC Group on HumanRights in Geneva, led the OIC’s common position and succeeded in convincingUN Human Rights Council to adopt resolution 16/18, sponsored by Pakistan, onbehalf of the OIC on ‘Combating Religious Intolerance and Discrimination’.

In the areas of scientific and technological cooperation in the Muslim World,Pakistan is playing a leading role by hosting the OIC’s Standing Committee onScience and Technology (COMSTECH). We are preparing to host the15th Session of General Assembly of COMSTECH in 2016.

102. *Ms. Shamas Un Nisa:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state the stepstaken by the Pakistan Mission/Embassy to promote bilateral relationswith Iran during the last three years?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: Our Mission in Tehran has taken multipleinitiatives to further deepen the bilateral relations between Iran & Pakistan.The undertakings of the mission include political, economic, trade and culturalspheres, as well as people to people contacts.

2. Many high level engagements in the past 3 years have provided therequired essential impetus to the expansion of bilateral relations.

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3. Multiple agreements and MoUs have been signed for cooperationin economic, energy, agriculture, social, education and science and technologyareas, which include the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project and import of electricityfrom Iran.

4. Several bilateral mechanisms also exist for regular interactionsbetween the two countries. These include the bilateral political consultationsmechanism at the level of Foreign Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister ofIran, the Joint Economic Commission (JEC), Joint Border Commission (JBC),Joint Border Trade Committee (JBTC) and Joint Road TransportationCommission (JRTC). These foras remain active to continuously enhance bilateralrelations.

5. The lifting of sanctions on Iran is bound to rapidly enhance thebilateral relations, specially trade between the two countries will boost in nearfuture. Banking channels are being established. Agreement has been signed withIran to open two additional border crossings at Gabd-Reemdan andMand-Pishin to facilitate trade. A cooperative approach is being adopted tomutually benefit from Gwadar and Chabahar ports. Cooperation in the energysector is also a priority area between the two countries.

6. Our Missions in Iran also hold cultural events and facilitate Zaireensvisit to Iran.

103. *Dr. Shazia Sobia:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state the stepstaken by the Pakistan Mission/Embassy to promote bilateralrelations with Russia during the last three years?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: The Embassy of Pakistan, Moscow hastaken a number of new initiatives besides utilizing the existing ones for furtherstrengthening and broadening of bilateral ties with Russia during the last threeyears. Our relations with Russia are currently going through a new phase ofcordiality, friendship and increased engagement in diverse areas as a result ofthe framework developed through signing of various agreements/MoUs signedwith Russia. A number of agreements/MoUs are in the pipeline as well.

Pakistan and Russia have developed mutual understanding onimportant political and security issues and have institutionalized bilateral

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relationship through consultative mechanisms: Strategic Dialogue between the twoForeign Ministries, Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, Joint WorkingGroup on Energy, Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) on Trade, Economic,Scientific and Technical Cooperation and Joint Consultative Group on StrategicStability.

Pakistan became a full member of the Shanghai CooperationOrganization (SCO) during the Organization’s last annual Summit held in theRussian city of Ufa in July 2015. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, who wasleading the Pakistani delegation, also met President Vladimir Putin on thesidelines of the SCO Summit. The two leaders reviewed the entire gamutof bilateral relations and expressed their resolve to fast-track their cooperationin all spheres.

There have been frequent high level contacts between the two countries.Chairman Senate, Speaker National Assembly, Ministers for Finance, Defence/Water and Power, Petroleum, Information and Adviser to the Prime Minister onForeign Affairs visited Russia while Chairperson of the Russian Federal Council,Russian Defence and Energy Ministers, Chief of the Russian Naval Staff and DeputyForeign Minister visited Pakistan.

Bilateral trade and economic relations with Russia have been steadilyimproving over the past few years. With the concerted efforts of the Mission, theban on import of agricultural products was lifted by Russia in February, 2014except for potatoes. The ban was imposed by Russia in October, 2013 whenpotatoes exported to Russia were detected with quarantine disease“Cyst Nematodes” despite the phyto-sanitary certificates. Agricultural productsconstitute one-third of our exports to Russia.

Our mission has been supporting participation of Pakistani companies intrade exhibitions in Russia: “Le-Show Exhibition” (leather), “World FoodMoscow”, “Heimtextile Exhibition” (textile) and “Agro Salon” (auto parts exhibition)and Intercharm (beauty products). A 25-member Russian delegation participatedin the defense exhibition IDEAS-2014, held in Karachi.

During Russian Energy Minister’s recent visit to Islamabad(16-17 October, 2015) an Agreement on North South Gas Pipeline project worthUS$ 2 billion was signed. The 1,100 km long pipeline will be used for transportationof gas from Karachi to Lahore. Various Russian state-owned energy companieshave shown interest in several energy projects in Pakistan.

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Pakistan-Russia military-to-military contacts at the highest level andcooperation in the field of defence have been on an upward trajectory overthe last few years. Chiefs of Army and Naval Staff visited Russia in 2015while Chief of Air Staff in August 2012. The Russian Air Force Chief visitedPakistan in April 2013. A landmark Defence Cooperation Agreement wassigned between the two countries during Russian Defence Minister’s visit toPakistan in November 2014.

104. *Dr. Shazia Sobia:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state the total number of VocationalTraining Institutes in Pakistan at present alongwith the detailsthereof?

Tranferred to Federal Education and Professional Training Division foranswer on Next Rota Day.

105. *Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak:


(a) the total number of International Schools of Pakistan abroadat present alongwith the names of countries thereof; and

(b) the procedure adopted for the annual financial audit of thoseSchools alongwith the name of authority who conducts thesaid audit?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) There are a number of Pakistani

International Schools abroad some of which are affiliated with Federal Board ofIntermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE). Only three of the InternationalSchools in India, Libya and Iran have received some financial support whichrecently has been, as under:——————————————————————————————

Location Name of School Financial assistance receivedfrom Pakistan in recentyears (2013-15)

——————————————————————————————Libya, Tripoli Embassy of Pakistan, US$ 50,064/

Tripoli——————————————————————————————

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——————————————————————————————Location Name of School Financial assistance received

from Pakistan in recentyears (2013-15)

——————————————————————————————India, New High Commission of Pak. Rs. 3,347,684/Delhi Pakistan, New Delhi

Iran, Tehran Embassy of Pakistan, Around US$ 5,000/Tehran

——————————————————————————————(b) The accounts of the schools are supervised and get audited by

the Board of Governors on regular basis.

106. *Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak:


(a) the steps taken by the Ministry to coordinate with ProvincialGovernments to align National Labour Laws with Pakistan’s International Obligations after the Constitution (EighteenthAmendment) Act, 2010; and

(b) the provinces which have made/formulated the requiredlegislation on labour laws for liaisoning with theFederal Government?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment (Pir Syed Sadaruddin Shah Rashidi): (a) The steps taken bythe Ministry to coordinate with Provincial Governments to align national labourlaws with Pakistan’s international obligations after the Constitution (EighteenthAmendment) Act 2010 are:

(i) Establishment of a Federal Tripartite Consultation Committee(FTCC).

(ii) Extending technical support to Provincial Governments through theInternational Labour Organization (ILO) Country Office.

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(iii) Prioritizingsuch alignment under Pakistan’s Decent Work CountryProgramme II.

(b) Provincial Governments have also established ProvincialTripartite Consultation Committees (PTCCs).

107. *Ms. Naeema Kishwar Khan:


(a) the total number of Pakistanis detained in Saudi Arabia at presentalongwith the detail of allegation leveled against them; and

(b) the steps being taken by the Government for their release?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) There are 2,393 Pakistanis imprisonedin different jails of Saudi Arabia, as under:

Drugs 868Theft 358Adultery 071Murder 064Forgery 271Fighting/Brawl 037Bribery 047Miscellaneous crimes 677

(b) The action taken by the government to facilitate the Pakistani detaineeand prisoners are, as under:

(i) Regular consular visits are made to the jails in Saudi Arabia to monitorthe well being of Pakistanis in prisons and to extend all possibleassistance to them;

(ii) Our missions intercede with the Saudi authorities to seek maximumrelief to Pakistanis charged with any wrong doing;

(iii) Legal assistance is arranged, where required, to facilitate their defencein the court of law;

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(iv) The cases of those whose sentence reaches near completion areraised with the Saudi authorities to ensure thir timely release;

(v) Translation services are provided on request in the labour court;

(vi) Remission in sentences is sought on special occasions like in Ramazan,Eid, National Day, etc;

(vii) Emergency Travel documents are issued to those who complete theirsentence to facilitate their return to Pakistan;

108. *Ms. Munaza Hassan:


(a) whether it is a fact that the textile industry is bearing the highcosts due to the high gas tariff; if so, the reasons thereof; and

(b) whether it is also a fact that gas tariff in other gas producingcountries is cheapest; if so, the reasons of not lowering the saidrate for textiles in Pakistan?

Tranferred to Petroleum and Natural Resources Division for answer onNext Rota Day.

109. *Ms. Munaza Hassan:


(a) the total number of schemes launched by the Ministry for thewelfare of Merchant Navy Seamen during the last three yearsalongwith the details thereof; and

(b) the benefits derived from the said schemes so far?

Transferred to Port and Shipping Division for answer on Next Rota Day.

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110. *Rai Hasan Nawaz Khan:


(a) whether it is a fact that basic textile exports are decreasing bothin quality and quantity since 01-01-2016; if so, the percentageof the exports alongwith the reasons thereof; and

(b) the steps being taken by the Government to recover the saidloss?

Minister for Textile Industry: (a) Textile exports of upstream valuechain has decreased, however these has been slight increase in downstream valueadded sectors.

In value terms US $ Million

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The main reason for decrease in upstream value chain is slow down ininternational markets, low commodity prices specially of Cotton and less Cottonproduction as well.

(b) The Government in recent times has taken following measure:—

The benefit of Drawback of Local Taxes & Levies Scheme shallremain available for the textile exporter in the FY 2015-16 underwhich they shall be entitled to the drawback on FOB values of theirenhanced exports if increased beyond 10% of their previous year’sexports, as per following rates: a. Garments = 4%, b. Made-ups =2%; and c. Processed fabric = 1%.

In the last budget, the Government reduced mark-up rate on longterm financing facility for 3-10 years duration from around 11.4% to9.0% to allow export sector industries to make investments oncompetitive basis. This was further reduced to 7.5% inFebruary 2015 and has further brought down to 6.0% on

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1st July 2015, now the rate has been further reduced to 5% w.e.fNovember 2, 2015.

In the last budget, the Government reduced mark-up rate on exportsfinance from 9.4% to 7.5%,. This rate was reduced in February 2015to 6.0%, and it was further brought down to 4.5% from 1st July 2015recently the rate has been further reduced to 3.5%w.e.f November 2, 2015.

Moreover, Ginning and Spinning sector has been included in LongTerm Financing Facility (LTFF).

Duty free import of textile machinery has continued for FY2015-16.

111. *Rai Hasan Nawaz Khan:


(a) whether it is a fact that the highest amount has been spent byPakistan’s Embassy in Washington DC and the Missions inUnited Nations during the last three years; if so, the detailsalongwith the reasons thereof; and

(b) the steps being taken by the Government to reduce the saidexpenditure?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) The expenditure incurred by Pakistan’sEmbassy in Washington DC and the Missions in United Nations during the lastthree years from 2012-13 to 2014-15 is as under:

Amount in Pak. Rupees

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Pakistan Mission in Washington is of key importance in terms of Pakistan’snational and strategic interests. Our presence in UN is essential for engagementwith the international community to safeguard our economic and political interests.Therefore, Missions are manned with more staff strength as compared to otherMissions resulting into higher expenditure.

Moreover, loan for construction of Chancery building is being paid backby Parep Washington. As in case of other Missions abroad, budget for the Missionsin Washington DC and United Nations is approved by the Finance Division everyyear and utmost efforts are made to spend the money in accordance with thefinancial rules.

(b) Despite Pakistan’s important role in fight against terrorism andincrease in Pakistan’s presence/ participation in various international fora andfluctuation in exchange rate of Pak. Rupee vs US$ which has direct impact onthe budget of our embassies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs has tried its utmost tokeep the expenditure at a bare minimum level. Ministry has issued instructionsto ensure strict adherence to follow Austerity Measures issued by the FinanceDivision. As a result, actual expenditure in the Embassy of Pakistan in Washingtonand the Mission in New York in 2014-15 was lower than that in 2012-13.

112. *Dr. Fozia Hameed:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state whether new markets have beenexplored by the present Government for providing labourers fromthe country; if so, the details thereof?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment (Pir Syed Sadaruddin Shah Rashidi): Ministry of OverseasPakistanis and Human Resource Development adopts multiple strategies to explorenew labour markets in order to facilitate skilled workers and labourers to findemployment abroad. It includes:

(i) signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Republic of Korea,Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Malaysia etc.

(ii) posting of Community Welfare Attachés in 14 manpower-importcountries (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Malaysia, Korea etc.).

(iii) issuing licenses to the Overseas Employment Promoters and gettingmanpower demands from foreign countries.

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113. *Dr. Fozia Hameed:

Will the Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan be pleasedto state:

(a) the head-wise funds allocated in the budget 2015-16 forKashmiri Refugees;

(b) the head-wise utilization of the said funds; and

(c) the steps taken by the Ministry to control the corruption in theutilization of said funds?

Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan (Mr. MuhammadBarjees Tahir): (a) In the Current Financial Year 2015-16, Rs.181 Million havebeen allocated for Kashmiri Refugees.

(b) This is one line budget utilized through Refugees Management Cell(RMC) on Food, Shelter, Medicine and Education of the Refugees.

(c) The funds are being utilized in a transparent manner and there are nocomplaints of any corruption in their disbursement. These funds are subject toregular audit.

114. *Ms. Parveen Masood Bhatti:

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state the year-wisetotal number of employees appointed in the State Life InsuranceCorporation of Pakistan during the tenure of the present Government?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): Year-wisetotal number of employees appointed is State Life during the tenure of the presentGovernment till date is as under:

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115. *Ms. Parveen Masood Bhatti:

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleased to statethe year-wise income earned by each player of the Pakistan CricketTeam during the years 2014 and 2015?

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (Mr. Riaz HussainPirzada): Pakistan Cricket Board has submitted the year-wise income earned byeach player of the Pakistan Cricket team during the years 2014 and 2015. whichare as under

Detail of players’ income for the year 2014

1 Misbah ul Haq 28,731,799

2 Muhammad Hafeez 35,961,197

3 Saeed Ajmal 35,961,197

4 Shahid Afridi 26,964,613

5 Younus Khan 13,309,084

6 Umer Gul 35,961,197

7 Ahmed Shahzad 21,654,537

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8 Junaid Khan 29,526,548

9 Asad Shafiq 10,890,767

10 Umer Akmal 21,654,537

11 Sohaib Maqsood 29,526,548

12 Sarfraz Ahmed 3,018,756

13 Bilawal Bhatti 21,654,537

14 Azhar Ali 10,890,767

15 Adnan Akmal 8,472,438

16 Sharjeel Khan 16,344,449

17 Zulfiqar Baba 8,472,438

18 Khurram Manzoor 8,472,438

19 Mohammad Talha 23,091,887

20 Faisal lqbal 1,725,000

21 Nasir Jamshed 16,344,449

22 Muhammad Irfan 6 062,639

Total: 414,691,821

Detail of players’ income for the year 2015

1 Muhammad Hafeez 39,226,579

2 Sarfraz Ahmad 33,672,329

3 Azhar Ali 30,088,108

25

4 Wahab Riaz 29,122,413

5 Ahmed Shahzad 28,076,275

6 Yasir Shah 27,439,053

7 Shoaib Malik 26,059,608

8 Misbah Ul Haq 24,734,637

9 Younis Khan 24,729,720

10 Asad Shafiq 19,585,915

11 Shahid Afridi 18,514,804

12 Rahat Ali 17,564,998

13 Muhammad Irfan 15,453,026

14 Mohammad Rizwan 14,039,720

15 Junaid Khan 13,227,666

16 Umer Akmal 11,891,498

17 Haris Sohail 11,548,276

18 Anwar Ali 11,254,804

19 Zulfiqar Babar 10,604,971

20 Amad Wasim 8,604,055

21 Sohaib Maqsood 8,350,360

22 Imran Khan 8,034,944

23 Shan Masood 7,238,333

26

24 Babar Azam 6,884,138

25 Saeed Ajmal 6,185,416

26 Bilal Asif 5,720,916

27 Ehsan Adil 5,670,333

28 Sohail Khan 5,264,638

29 Fawad Alam 5,217,416

30 Mukhtar Ahmad 4,657,833

31 Sohail Tanvir 3,986,444

32 Aamer Yamin 3,267,222

33 Sami Aslam 3,183,027

34 Muhammad Sammi 2,105,222

35 Nasir Jamshed 2,024,416

36 Bilawal Bhatti 1,947,222

37 Hammad Azam 1,705,416

38 Imran Khan Jr. 1,562,416

39 Saad Nasim 1,480,916

40 Riffat ullah Mohammad 1,067,416

41 Nauman Anwar 1,015,805

42 Iftikhar Ahmad 986,611

43 Zafar Gohar 795,805

27

44 Umer Gul 788,611

45 Umer Amin 720,000

46 Zia UI Haq 495,000

Total: 505 794 334

116. *Ms. Mussarrat Ahmadzeb:


(a) the total number of Commercial Attaches of Pakistan workingabroad at present;

(b) the total expenditure incurred thereupon during the lastthirty months; and

(c) the achievements made by the said Commercial Attaches duringthe said period?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): (a) Atpresent, 40 -officers are working in the Pakistan’s Trade Missions Abroad.

(b)(Figures in Pak. Rs.)

——————————————————————————————Financial year Budget grant Expenditure

——————————————————————————————2013-14 2,163,818,000 1,710,214,637

2014-15 1,753,849,000 1,327,237,111

2015-16 (1st & 1,877,220,000 463,364,5732nd quarter)

——————————————————————————————Total: 5,794,887,000 3,500,816,321

——————————————————————————————(c) A brief on the achievements made by the Commercial Attaches during

the said period is attached.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library)

28

117. *Ms. Mussarrat Ahmadzeb:


(a) the number of Pakistanis imprisoned in Afghanistan at present;

(b) the charges levelled against them; and

(c) the steps taken by the Government for their release?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) There are 207 Pakistanis imprisonedin Afghan jails.

(b) A majority of Pakistani nationals are detained on charges of illegalentry into Afghanistan, Taliban suspect, spying, Narcotics, Forgery, and Robbery.

(c) The Government of Pakistan makes following efforts to facilitate thePakistanis in detainees and imprisoned in Afghanistan:

i. The Mission undertakes frequent consular visits to the prisons toseek their wellbeing and provides all necessary assistance;

ii. The cases of the Prisoners are pursued by all available means tosecure release of the prisoners;

iii. All required support is provided in repatriation of those who arereleased from the prisons;

iv. Pakistan and Afghanistan are exploring possibility of an arrangementfor exchange of prisoners;

v. Pakistan is actively pursuing the Operationalization of Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Commission on Prisoners to address the pressingissue of the prisoners detained in both countries.

118. *Mr. Sajid Ahmed:


(a) the total number of Pakistanis imprisoned in the jails of Oman;

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(b) the allegations levelled against them; and

(c) the steps taken by the Government for their release?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) There are 601 Pakistanis in variousjails of Oman.

(b) Most of prisoners are charged with drugs trafficking. Other chargesinclude robbery, murder, violation of labour and immigration laws.

(c) The action taken by the government to facilitate the Pakistani detaineeand prisoners are, as under:

i. Regular consular visits are made to the jails in Oman to monitor thewell being of Pakistanis in prisons and to extend all possible assistanceto them;

ii. Our missions intercede with the Oman authorities to seek maximumrelief to Pakistanis charged with any wrong doing;

iii. Legal assistance is arranged, where required, to facilitate their defencein the court of law;

iv. The cases of those whose sentence reaches near completion areraised with the Oman authorities to ensure their timely release;

v. Translation services are provided on request in the labour court;

vi. Remission in sentences is sought on special occasions like in Ramazan,Eid, National Day, etc;

vii. Emergency Travel documents are issued to those who complete theirsentence to facilitate their return to Pakistan.

119. *Mr. Sajid Ahmed:


(a) the total number of Pakistanis imprisoned in the jails ofMalaysia at present;

30

(b) the allegations levelled against them; and

(c) the steps being taken by the Government for their release?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) There are three hundred and thirty six(336) Pakistanis currently detained in prisons in Malaysia.

(b) Broadly, the offences can be categorized as under:

i. Violation of Immigration laws;

ii. Drugs related offences (including drug trafficking andconsumption of drugs);

iii. Gang robbery, kidnapping, money laundering, protecting illegalimmigrants, theft, murder, forgery of documents and money;

(c) The Government of Pakistan makes following efforts to facilitate thePakistan in detainees and imprisoned in Malaysia:

As soon as an arrest is reported, consular access is requested tocollect information on the detained person and establish his/herPakistani citizenship;

Once the national status of a prisoner is confirmed, efforts are madeto get the detainee released and repatriated;

If efforts to get the detainee released do not succeed and the hostgovernment initiates legal proceedings, necessary legal assistance isarranged in the required cases;

When a detainee/prisoner is acquitted or completes his sentence,Pakistan Embassy/High Commission coordinates with the host countryfor their expeditious repatriation.

120. *Mr. Muhammad Muzammil Qureshi:


(a) the total number of trade fairs and other exhibitions organizedby the Government during the last three years tilldate alongwith the details of expenditure incurred thereon; and

31

(b) the details of foreign companies and countries participated inthose fairs and exhibitions during the said period alongwith therevenue earned by the Government therefrom?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): (a) 06 TradeFairs/Exhibitions have been organized by the Government during the last threecalendar years (2013-2015). Details of these Fairs/Exhibitions alongwithexpenditure against each is placed at Annex-“A”.

(b) Details of Foreign Companies/countries’s participation and revenuefigures are also placed at Annex “A”.

Annex-A

ISLAMABAD: QAMAR SOHAIL LODHI,The 17th March, 2016 Acting Secretary.

PCPPI— 0472(2016) NA—17-3-2016—650.

1

(30th Session)

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT

————

“UNSTARRED QUESTIONS AND THEIR REPLIES”

For Friday, the 18th March, 2016

75. Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak:


(a) whether there is any proposal under consideration of theGovernment to utilize local inputs under China-PakistanEconomic Corridor Project; if so, the details thereof; and

(b) the details of said inputs/finished goods including equipmentsand machineries being imported from China in this regard duringthe inception of said project?

Transferred to Planning, Development and Reform Division for answer onnext rota day.

76. Mr. Murad Saeed:


(a) whether it is a fact that Pakistani Ambassador to Qatar hasbanking background;

(b) if so, the experience of job thereof?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) Yes, Mr. Shahzad Ahmad, Ambassadorof Pakistan to Qatar is a senior banker with 22 year of experience.

(b) Mr. Shahzad Ahmad held important positions in various worldrenowed companies/firms which include The Royal Bank of Scotland, PLC

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(2008-2012), ABN Amro Bank N.V. (1998-2007), Citibank N.A (1993-1998)and I.D.E.A Ltd. (1991-1992). He holds degrees of M.Phil in Economics(University of Cambridge) and BA (University of Sussex). This experience is usefulfor promoting economic relations and attracting investment.

77. Mr. Murad Saeed:


(a) whether it is a fact that Qatar has offered 100,000 jobs/visas toPakistan; if so, the details thereof; and

(b) the total number of jobs will be given to each province?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) During the Prime Minister’s visit toQatar, last month, the Emir of Qatar agreed in principle to import in the comingyear an additional 100,000 Pakistani skilled and non-skilled workers in Qatar.

(b) Neither Qatar nor Pakistan has imposed any restrictions or province-wise quotas. It will be open recruitment by the Qatar employer, as per theirrequirements.

78. Ms. Munaza Hassan:


(a) whether it is a fact that European countries, Australia andAmerica have imposed anti-dumping duty against China onChinese Steel;

(b) whether it is also a fact that India has imposed 50% said dutyon Chinese Steel; and

(c) whether it is further a fact that Pakistan is one of the largestimporter of China; if so, the details thereof?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): (a) Yes, itis fact that European Countries, Austrialia, and America have imposed anti-dumpingduty against China on Chinese Steel as under:

3

——————————————————————————————S# Country Name Anti-dumping

Duty (maximum)——————————————————————————————

1. European Countries 85%

2. Australia 53.9%

3. America 266%——————————————————————————————

(b) Yes, it is a fact that India has imposed 57% Anti-dumping duty onChinese Steel.

(c) Yes, Pakistan is one of the importers of steel from China. The detailsthereof are as under:——————————————————————————————

Year Total Import (China) Steel Import——————————————————————————————

2013-14 $7.7 bn $ 0.66 bn

2014-15 $ 10.3 bn $ 1.29 bn——————————————————————————————

Pakistan’s anti-dumping duty/investigations and regulatory dutyagainst Chinese steel and all over the world may please be seen atAnnex-I and Annex-II.

4

79. Rai Hasan Nawaz Khan:

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state the details ofcooked/processed food items being exported/imported by Pakistanfrom various countries alongwith the names thereof?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): The cooked/processed food items exported/imported during the last three years are as under:

Value in Million Rs.——————————————————————————————

Year Export Imports——————————————————————————————

2012-13 5,133 6,9262013-14 5,804 8,3572014-15 5,230 11,682

—————————————————————————————— Total 16,167 26,965

——————————————————————————————Country-wise detail of exports and imports is attached at Annex-I and II

respectively.

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library)

80. Rai Hasan Nawaz Khan:

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state the names ofcountries from which finished goods are being imported onconcessional rates of duty at present alongwith the kinds/nature andpurposes thereof?

5

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): Pakisanhas granted preferential market access to its market to the countries under followingbilateral preferential arrangements;

FTAs

(i) Pakistan-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement-2007(ii) Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement-2006(iii) Pakistan-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement-2002(iv) South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA)

PTAs

(i) Pakistan-Iran Preferential Trade Agreement-2004(ii) Pakistan-Mauritius Preferential Trade Agreement-2007(iii) Pakistan-Indonesia Preferential Trade Agreement-2012

Under these preferential arrangements, Pakistan is importing followingfinished goods:—

6

81. Dr. Fozia Hameed:

Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased to statethe percentage of foreign funds have been incurred on the InternallyDisplaced Persons so far alongwith the utilization thereof?

Reply not received.

82. Mr. Sajid Ahmed:

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state the steps beingtaken by the Government to improve domestic trade with Maldives?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): Existingtrade between Pakistan and Maldives is as follows;

US$ million——————————————————————————————

Years Exports Impots Balance——————————————————————————————

2011-12 5.35 0.036 (+) 5.3152012-13 6.71 0.093 (+) 6.6182013-14 8.44 0.022 (+) 8.4142014-15 8.57 2.95 (+) 5.6112014-15 3,293 0.002 (+) 3.292

(July-Nov.)2015-16 3.167 0.019 (+) 3.166

(July-Nov.)——————————————————————————————

Source: PBS

Pakistan has a positive balance of trade with Maldives

2. Both Pakistan and Maldives are members of South Asian Free TradeAgreement under which maximum tariff on most items of imports/exports is 5% except for items on the sensitive list.

7

3. Pakistan has granted benefits to Maldives on the same line as otherLDCs under SAFTA, such as Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal etc.Pakistan is reducing its sensitive list to 245 tariff lines under SAFTAfor LDCs including Maldives.

4. Maldives is also part of trade liberalization commitments underSAFTA & SATIS where duties on all products will be reduced andservices sectors will be opened.

83. Ms. Khalida Mansoor:


(a) the total number of Pakistanis imprisoned in Indian jails exceptAmritsar jail at present; and

(b) the steps taken by the Government to release them?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) At present, there are 439 Pakistanidetainees in the India prisons except the Amritsar Jail. Twenty two Pakistanis areimprisoned in Amritsar Jail, whose national status is confirmed.

(b) The steps taken by the government for release of the prisoners are,as under:

(i) Whenever, an arrest is brought to the notice of the Mission it requeststhe Indian authorities for consular access to collect information onthe detainee to establish his/her Pakistani citizenship;

(ii) Once the national status of a prisoner is confirmed, the Mission makesa formal request to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs for earlyrelease and repatriation;

(iii) Generally, such a request is not entertained and the Indian authoritiesinitiate the legal proceedings against the detainee;

(iv) The Mission arranges legal assistance to the defend the accusedPakistani;

(v) The Mission facilitates expeditious repatriation of those who areacquitted or completed their respective sentence;

8

84. Mr. Babar Nawaz Khan:


(a) the steps taken by the Government to increase exports to theEuropean Union countries during the year 2014-15;

(b) the names of those countries where new trade markets havebeen discovered so far; and

(c) the names of items to be exported to those countries in the nearfuture?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): (a) EuropeanUnion (EU) has granted GSP+ to Pakistan, as a result of which Pakistani productshave duty free access in its 28 member states since 1st January, 2014. As a resultof GSP+ Pakistan’s exports to EU grew from US$ 6.22 billion in 2013 toUS$ 7.54 billion in calendar year 2014. During the period January to November,2015, Pakistan’s export to EU registered an increase 32% over the same periodin 2013 and 9.8% over the same period in 2014 in Euro term.

2. In addition to this Market-Access initiatives made possible throughgovernment’s hectic efforts, Ministry of Commerce participated in internationalexhibitions and also arranged trade delegations to EU member states.

3. During 2014-2015, TDAP participated in following internationalexhibitions and sent delegations to EU region.

Exhibitions to be Participate by TDAP During 2014 -2015——————————————————————————————

S# Name of Event, Country, Event date Product Sector——————————————————————————————

1. Texworld, Paris, France, Sep., 2014 Textile & its products

2. SIAL Food France, Oct., 2014 Food Items

3. Agritechanika Hannover, Nov., 2014 Auto parts

4. Medica Dusseldorf Germany, Nov., 2014 Surgical Instruments——————————————————————————————

9

——————————————————————————————S# Name of Event, Country, Event date Product Sector

——————————————————————————————5. Heimtextile, Frankfurt, Germany, Jan., 2015 Textile & its products

6. Domotex, Hannover, Germany, Jan., 2015 Carpets

7. Expo Riva Schuh, Italy, Jan., 2015 Footwear

8. Fruit Logistica, Berlin, Germany, Feb., 2015 Food Items + Fruits

9. Texworld, Paris, France, Feb., 2015 Textile & its products

10. ISPO Winter, Munich, Germany, Feb. 2015 Sports Goods

11. IWA & Outdoor Classics, Germany, Mar., Arms, weapons2015 & equipment’s

12. Cosmoprof Italy, April, 2015 Beauty & cosmeticproducts

13. Le-Show, Moscow , May, 2015 Leather & its product

14. Expo Riva Garda Italy, Jun., 2015 Footwear

15. Automechanika Frankfurt, Germany, Sept., Auto parts2015

16. Intermot, Germany, Oct., 2015 Auto, gloves, suits etcTechnologies

17. Anuga Food , Germany, Oct., 2015 Food Items

18. EIMA, Bologna Italy, Nov., 2015 Auto Technologies

19. EICMA MOTO, Milan Italy, Nov., 2015 Gloves /Auto parts

20. A+A Dusseldorf , Germany, Nov., 2015 Glove and SafetyProtection Equipment

——————————————————————————————

10

——————————————————————————————S# Name of Event, Country, Event date Product Sector

——————————————————————————————21. International Dental Show, Germany, Dental and surgical

Mar., 2015 equipment, tools. etc.

22. Marmomacc, Verona Fair Italy, Sep., Marble, Design &2014 Technology

23. Expo Protection, Paris, France Sep., 2014 Safety equipment’s

24. Sty-Kabo Fair, Czech Republic, Feb., 2015 Fashion, Footwear andLeatherwear Fair

25. Ambiente, Frankfurt, Germany, Feb., 2015 General Items

26. Safety and Health Expo, UK, June, 2015 Safety and ProtectionEquipment

——————————————————————————————

(i) 22 member delegation visited Russia 14th to 18th Sep., 2015.

(ii) 4 members delegation of PLGMEA visited Czech Republic andPoland from Jan. 28 to 3rd Feb., 2015.

(iii) FPCCI Trade delegation visited Poland from 7-9 May 2014.

(b) (i) Czech Republic

(ii) Poland

(iii) Belgium

(c) The focused products in EU region are Gloves and protective clothing,work wear, safety equipment, outdoor hunting equipment and accessories, textile,processed food, hallal food, beauty care products and equipment etc.

11

85. Mr. Babar Nawaz Khan:


(a) the detail of raw and refined sugar imported since March 31st,2014 to meet the domestic needs separately; and

(b) the mechanism adopted therefor?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): (a) Totalquantity of raw and refined sugar imported since 31st March, 2014 is 19,349MT. the detail is at Annex-A.

(b) The import of sugar under Import Policy Order is allowed. However,vide ECC’s decision No. ECC-103/12/2015 dated 17th June, 2015, the importof sugar is subject to 40% regulatory duty (Annex-B). Federal Government hasconstituted a Sugar Advisory Board (SAB) in the Ministry of Industries andProduction. The meeting of this Board is convened periodically to assess the sugarproduction as well as demand and supply situation in the country and this Boardaccordingly recommends import or export of sugar.

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library)

ISLAMABAD: QAMAR SOHAIL LODHI,The 17th March, 2016. Acting Secretary.

PCPPI—0472(2016) NA—17-3-2016—650.

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