MULTAN City News

TDAP to organise trade exhibitions in 4 main cities
From Our Correspondent
MULTAN: Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) will organise exhibitions in four cities including Multan, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Sialkot to introduce special products of these cities internationally.
The TDAP is working hard to boost trade in the country under prime minister’s initiative of Export Promotion Vision.
Addressing a meeting of the executive committee members, chaired by Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) Senior Vice President Alamgir Jamil Khan here on Tuesday, TDAP Director General Shahzad Hussain Rana said the government has acknowledged the significance of the southern Punjab which produces good quality mango and over 10 million bales of cotton annually. It has craftsmen of world repute and it is paying attention to improving living standards of the area people.
The TDAP DG said the government was taking steps to increase export as the country had been facing decrease in surgical and sports goods export. He said China did not give Pakistan a loan but it planned to invest $46 billion in Pakistan.
Rana said trade consular and attaches were duty-bound to help the information-seekers. If anyone does not perform his duties properly, he would have to come back. He urged the exporters to add value to potentially exportable products to earn much needed foreign exchange and revolutionise the national economy. He said exporters can add more value to products having export potential like Halal food, mango, dates, apple, fish, livestock and others to make them more attractive and acceptable to foreign buyers.
He said the TDAP was ready to assist all newcomers and old exporters in preparation of a roadmap identifying suitable importing countries and steps to export their products to international markets. He said Expo Centres in Sialkot, Multan, Gujranwala can be established on self-help basis and chambers would have to bear all the expenses.
In his welcome address, Alamgir Khan said the feasibility report of expo centre has already been approved but it was still in pipeline. Similarly, display had been closed.
He said the TDAP should make sure sanctioning of sufficient funds from Export Development Fund (EDF) for Multan display centre. He suggested that TDAP should organise mega exhibitions in Multan.
In the past, the MCCI organised three exhibitions with the cooperation of USAID and NPO. Khwaja Muhammad Farooq, Khwaja Muhammad Usman, Khwaja Muhammad Younas, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gilani, Mirza Ali Ahmed raised some questions about the measures taken for enhancing exports.

Tussle between BZU admin, DDL director
A tussle between Bahauddin Zakariya University administration and the BZU Directorate of Distance Learning has intensified following disclosure of alleged corruption and gross irregularities at the distance learning directorate.
Talking to The News, BZU Registrar Muneer Hussain Malik said on Tuesday a high-level meeting was held with Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Khwaja Alqama in the chair a few days back, which reviewed the corruption complaints against Distance Learning Director Dr Ishaq Fani.
The registrar said a number of corruption complaints had been received against the DDL director. However, the director became infuriated during the meeting and said no inquiry could be conducted against him on corruption charges.
The VC was suggested to form a high-level inquiry committee to probe the corruption charges. The meeting was informed that Dr Fani had purchased books worth Rs120 million, though there was no department library to keep these books. It was alleged in the meeting that the books was purchased only for getting commission.
Earlier, the Directorate of Distance Learning barred the registrar from taking his LLB final semester exam on Monday. The registrar, however, said he had been taking his exam since last Friday and he was not barred from taking exam earlier. However, after the meeting where he levelled corruption charges, the directorate barred him from taking exam under the pretext of shortage of lectures.
DDL Director Dr Ishaq Fani said that over 150 students, including BZU Registrar Munir Malik, were not allowed to take the exam because they did not fulfil the criteria of attendance. He said that misconduct and unfair means proceedings were being initiated against the registrar. He rejected corruption charges and said that a 21-member purchase committee had decided to purchase books.