ISLAMABAD (APP) - The city of Sialkot in Punjab province had played a vital role in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) Geneva in minimizing the involvement of children in football manufacturing industry which was a laudable achievement. The combined efforts of Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), the World Federation of Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI), Trade Unions, Manufactures, UNICEF and various international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to combat child labour produced good results and Sailkots football industry started working with full capacity in accordance with the rules and regulations of the FIFA. Through choking traffic and crude streets, pastoral scenes and fields of wheat, there is a journey to be made in the heart of the Punjab that will take you to the very soul of the beautiful game and it is a glimpse into all that is possible when you consider that for decades now Pakistan has been a leading exporter of hand-stitched soccer balls. Sialkot city of Pakistan lies within fact that it is recognized worldwide for producing superior hand stitched soccer balls for the last hundred years and Football manufactures and exporters of Sailkot have obtained ISO certifications and have met all international standards. Around 75 million balls are produced annually by some 60,000 extremely skilled male and female workforces of Sailkot. A good player will play with this ball, it makes me feel good, it brightens our countrys reputation and that makes me feel proud, says one young man as he continues stitching about six to eight balls a day. Sailkot is the largest exporter of footballs to Germany and its leading manufacturers have collaboration with the well-know sports brands like Adidas, Puma (Germany), Nike (USA), Dita, Slazenger (UK) and Mikasa (Japan). Khawaja Masood Akhtar is the owner of the aptly named Forward Sports. For almost two decades he has won big-brand contracts against the odds and is currently a prime supplier for Adidas. The ball stitched in Pakistan will definitely be of a higher quality, edition.cnn quoted Akhtar as saying. He adds that he has great admiration for the stitchers that craft his perfectly rounded balls. Its hard work you need very strong upper body strength to do that, and this is not easy. They are doing the job by hand but it looks like some machine, adds Akhtar. Sialkot-based small and medium industries are earning foreign exchange of over one billion dollars yearly through exports and strengthening the national economy. President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Muhammad Ishaq Butt underscored formulation of a separate business plan for Sialkot for enhancing productivity and bringing innovation in products. The industrial technology has improved the production line worldwide but due to lack of funds and government support our industrial sector lags behind and without support and cooperation of the government overhauling of the local industrial sector on modern lines is impossible, pakobserver quoted him as saying. In the 1980s, Sialkot gained 'international celebrity status when it produced the 'Tango ball used in FIFA World Cup in 1982, and during USA, Fifa world cup 1994 when soccer balls exported from Sialkot Pakistan were selected as the official soccer ball for the whole event which led to further growth of the soccer ball industry. The success story of Sialkot based industries is based on the unmatched skill and craftsmanship of local workers. Today almost all international buyers rush to Sialkot to secure their supply chains, building strong and long term business relations with the local exporters. At the moment however, the city is gripped mainly by football fever, with business activity at its peak in and around the city. A rush of cargo agents is witnessed at the Sialkot Dry Port for clearance and dispatch of soccer ball consignments well before the commencement of the World Cup, while the Collectorate of Customs Sambrial has also extended the working hours of the export section and PRAL to facilitate exporters. 'We have the capacity to export soccer balls worth $100 million before the Football World Cup 2010 if the government helps in exploring markets especially Latin America and Asia Pacific, Dawn quoted Prof Safdar Sandal, former chairman of Pakistan Sports Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PSGMEA) as saying. He said the labour-intensive soccer industry was providing direct and indirect jobs to about 80,000 workers while sub- contracting on piece rate, which is a common practice, resulting in creation of more jobs. He however deplored that the vital sports industry had not been getting due attention from the successive governments hampering its growth potential for a long time. Sialkot city of Punjab, Pakistan is also considered as birth place of famous eastern poet Allama Iqbal, who paved way for creation of Pakistan by inviting Mohammad Ali Jinnah to subcontinent who worked for proving Muslims of Indo-Pakistan as a strong identity. This gives Sialkot a historical importance. The city resides towards northeast of Punjab. Sialkot is bordered by India from north to east positioning itself adjacent to Jammu and Kashmir. Also there is a Sialkot Dry Port in Sambrial which is vital for logistic supports. This gives Sialkot city of Pakistan a geographic importance also this area has witnessed major tank battles between Indo-Pak forces during past wars. So Sialkot is a vantage point for both India and Pakistan.