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Pakistan to produce to 500,000
cars by year 2011
Pakistan
Times
Business
& Commerce Desk
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister
for Industries, Jahangir Khan Tareen Wednesday said the Government had
introduced a 5-year Auto Industry Development Plan (AIDP) which aimed at
increasing the local production of cars from 200,000 in 2005-06 to 500,000
in 2011 by making local auto industry more competitive, creating capacity
for local design and innovation, domestic competition, human resource
development and auto cluster development.
He expressed these views during a meeting with CEOs/Chairmen of the leading
Car Assemblers of the country including Chairmen/CEOs of Toyota Indus Motor,
Suzuki and Honda.
The meeting was also attended by Hafeez Chaudhary, Additional Secretary
Ministry of Industries, Production and Special Initiatives; CEO Engineering
Development Board (EDB) Imtiaz Rastgar and other officials of the EDB and
the Ministry.
The Minister told the participants that the meeting has been scheduled as a
part of the Ministry's strategy to listen to all the stakeholders before
finalizing the AIDP.
On the issue of import of used cars, the Minister said that keeping in view
the interest of the Assemblers and the consumers, under the AIDP, the used
car import policy will be regulated so as not to impede the growth of local
industry while protecting the consumer interests.
It was also agreed that indigenization of the local auto industry will be
done as required under the AIDP. The Minister said that Government is keen
to bring indigenization in the local auto industry.
The Ministry and the Car Assemblers also agreed to set up a constitutional
mechanism involving both the government and the auto industry for regular
assessment of AIDP implementation. The draft was discussed in detail with
the Car Assemblers.
The Assemblers were in agreement with the Ministry on almost all the points
of the draft. The Car Assemblers said that it is encouraging that the
Government is putting forward a broad framework under which the local
industry can grow and they termed AIDP an incentive in it self.
The Minister directed the CEO of EDB to form a group with the assemblers to
discuss the AIDP draft further before giving it a final shape.●
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