Last again

While attending a conference in South Africa in the year 2002, I was overjoyed when informed by a member of the management committee that the furniture in the building was imported from Chiniot, Pakistan due to its uniqueness. In the following years, my spirits were elevated when I saw Pakistani shirts and trousers in major stores across Western countries. However, things are not the same anymore.

Most outfits in big clothing retail chains are from Indonesia, India, and Bangladesh, and Made-in-Pakistan items are quite less. In most big sores, there is a corner dedicated to Indian products, which gives an exotic look. One fails to understand why Pakistan has lagged behind in exporting its niche products. Pakistani products including shirts, trousers, jackets, hosiery, carpets, and home decor items could be a source of earning the foreign exchange reserves we badly need to strengthen our economy and pay our debts.

Dr Najeeb A Khan

Islamabad