Mian Muhammad Aslam hopes that Pak entrepreneurs have full potential to compete in international markets

 Naveed Ahmad Khan

ISLAMABAD: The Vice Amir Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan, Mian Muhammad Aslam urged Pakistani entrepreneurs to develop international standard “brands” to capture open global markets by fully exploiting indigenous potentials, expertise, and resources.

He was addressing to businessmen gathering on the occasion of a conference on Management Capacity Building, Challenges, Solutions, Future & Role of ICSTSI jointly organized by Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industries (ICSTSI) and Explore for Exposure.

Muhammad Zahid, President, ICSTSI, Saith Usama Chitrali, CEO, Explore For Exposure, Hammad ul Hassan Abbasi, Hafiz Tanveer, Educationist, Adeela Arif, CEO, 21st Century Education and Prof. Muhammad Athar Sheikh were also present on the occasion. ICSTSI is the pioneer Chamber for the SME Sector in Pakistan representing the interest of all shops, local markets and industries of the Capital of Pakistan. Mian Muhammad Aslam was the chief guest on the occasion.

He said vertical integration and institutional networks need to be strengthened on modern scientific lines to meet the future challenges of global marketing. “By the grace of Allah, Pak entrepreneurs have full potential to compete in the international markets but unfortunately they do not develop their own brand like KFC, McDonald’s, Guard, Bata, and Chen One”, he added.

Saith Usama Chitrali, CEO Explore For Exposure said that private sector had to come forward to develop their own brands on war footings for their survival otherwise the neighboring countries would continue to dominate and sweep international markets. He said Pakistan was producing some of the best products in the world in sports, textile, fruits, vegetables, handicrafts, and in several other sectors but not exporting them under its own Pakistani brands.

Muhammad Zahid, President, ICSTSI urged the government to conduct market research in an attempt to search new export destinations for Pakistani products, which were considered the best in the world as far as quality and prices were concerned. “Pakistani missions abroad should be duty-bound to introduce Pakistani products there and ensure dissemination of trade-related information so that local entrepreneurs could avail trade opportunities to the maximum,” he added. He urged the private sector to restore consumer faith and trust by manufacturing best quality products at competitive prices for the promotion of brands.

He also called upon the government, private sector, academia, and civil society to put efforts together to mentor, guide, and support youth to unleash immense economic and social potential. He would also try to ensure a business-friendly environment by sharing views with the government and by taking all the stakeholders on board on all economy-related issues.

Other participants including Nadia Khattak, Javed Bangash, Hafiz Tanveer and Prof. Muhammad Athar Sheikh also spoke on the occasion. They said that youth accounts for over 60 percent of Pakistan’s population and it is essential to encourage them in entrepreneurship so that they could become more productive and contribute positively to the growth of the national economy