960403

Exporters want ban on

chartered flights from

Moscow lifted

MUZAFFAR QURESHI

KARACHI: The leather garments exporters have urged the government to lift the ban on businessmen's chartered flights from Moscow so that cash exports to the central Asian states may be resumed.

The spokesman of Pakistan Leather Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Forum, Fawad Ijaz Khan, who is also Managing Committee member of Pakistan Tanners Associations (PTA) told Business Recorder that the ban on chartered flights by the Ministry of Interior for security reasons has deprived the country of millions of dollars of exports to Central Asian Republics (CARs).

He said that since there were no normal channels for imports, the CARs businessmen used to visit Karachi and made large purchases of leather garments, including footwear and textile garments, on cash basis and take the goods back through chartered flights.

The Ministry of Interior on the pretext of security reasons, (because one of the Russian businessmen was spotted selling a bullet proof jacket in Karachi Market), banned chartered flights from Moscow about six months ago.

The result of the government's action, he continued, was that CARs businessmen now visited Dubai and made purchases of leather garments and textile garments. Many Pakistani exporters now had to send their goods to Dubai to sell them.

Fawad Ijaz said that the Forum leaders had discussed the matter with the Ministry of Interior and the Sindh Chief Minister but the problems had not been resolved.

He said that in view of transportation and exchange problems in trade, the trade through consignees was the only way with the CARs which the government had blocked through its unreasonable decision.

The Forum spokesman maintained that the leather garment exporters lost one full season, from August to March, due to the Government's ban on chartered flights. It was high time that the government lifted the ban so that the exporters could avail of the next season and could earn precious foreign exchange for the country.