ISLAMABAD -  Federal Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan has said that the government has issued notifications for non-textile sector under the Prime Minister’s package to boost business activities in the country.

He made these remarks while chairing an inter-ministerial meeting attended by the Textile secretary and Commerce secretary. The minister said that the required notifications for both textile and non-textile sectors, based upon the announcement made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to give duty drawback package to exporters, has now been issued and the required circular is expected any day.

He further said that all the procedural formalities have been completed and very soon the exporters will be able to take advantage of the package as it will be available for exporters from January 16.

Earlier, the minister also held a meeting with Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Secretary General Halil Ibrahim Akca. Dastgir welcomed the delegation led by ECO secretary general and said that Pakistan attaches high importance to the ECO Trade Agreement (ECOTA) and that expeditious implementation of the ECOTA tariff concessions would be a major step towards minimising barriers to trade and ultimately establishing a free trade area in the ECO region.

The ECOTA was signed by five out of ten Economic Cooperation Organisation member states, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Turkey.

The minister said that the Turkish government must open ECOTA concession list because Pakistan seriously considers the ECOTA Agreement and has already opened its concession list. Pakistan, designated as the coordinating country of ECOTA, had taken a lead in opening ECOTA concession list to the ECO Secretariat in 2008.