Conference Brief
Delegates from 7 countries highlight the importance of Technical Textiles™ for Pakistan in the 2nd International Conference on Textile and Clothing (ICTC) 2009
Technical Textiles is the most promising area that must attract government priority to lead Pakistan into the new realm of competitive world. The fact was highlighted by the speakers from seven countries who were present in the 2nd International Conference on Textile and Clothing held on May 7-8, 2009 at the Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore, organized by the University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore and The Textile Institute UK. Â The conference attracted a large number of textile experts, researchers, industrialists and textile students.
ICTC-2009 is a serious effort in Pakistan to explore business and value addition opportunities in the promising technical textiles sector, remarked Dr. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Textiles, who was the Chief Guest of the concluding ceremony of the 2nd ICTC - 2009.
While speaking on the occasion he acknowledged that textiles generated forty percent employment in the country and constituted sixty percent of the GDP. He said that the National Textile Policy was formulated by the Government after taking all stakeholders into confidence but suggestions for improvement were welcome from all quarters. The policy aimed to increase exports and stimulate industrial productivity. He added that the Textile City was being set up with the same purpose and its impact on the industry was being gauged on a daily basis. He also congratulated UMT on holding the conference and said that he felt that it was an honor for him to have attended it.
Dr Baig said that the ICTC-2009 would serve as a platform for cross-fertilization of ideas through meaningful interaction of scholars, practitioners and experts already working in this area or who have a stake in this key sector and we look forward to benefit from the deliberations. Technical textiles will be one of the most prosperous industries in the coming years, he added. Unfortunately, Pakistan is far behind in technical textiles. ICTC-2009 aimed to generate a change for the better by bringing together experts from different parts of the world. Nevertheless, the government is taking up steps to address the key issues in the critical textile sector.
Elaborating the steps taken by the government to help the textile industry, he said that the textile sector was tax free for one year. The government was seeking advice from experts and institutions and the co-operation of institutions such as UMT was essential for the progress of the textile sector. He also promised financial assistance by the government for setting up a Technical Textile Research and Development Center in UMT. He said that the government was considering abolishing all duties on raw materials and friendly countries were being consulted for technology transfer. He added that ensuring access to international markets was also a top priority.
A day earlier, Mian Tariq Mehmood, Chairman All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), Dr. Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore, Dr. Rashid Kausar, Pro-Rector UMT, and Nusrat Ali Chisti, Secretary, Textile Institute, UK, addressed the inaugural ceremony. The speakers highlighted the significance of the textile sector, particularly technical textiles, for Pakistan.
Earlier, Dr. Hasan Sohaib Murad welcomed Dr. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig to the ICTC-2009 and hoped that the conference would lead to better collaboration in the textile sector in general and technical textile in particular between the government, educational institutions and industries, thus ensuring better research. He emphasized that the future of millions of people was associated with the textile industry. Therefore it was very important to discourage the flight of capital and skilled labor from the country. He said that the efforts of Dr. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig who himself was an industrialist and expert would lead to an expansion of the role of educational institutions in the textile sector. This he said was only possible if the government supported all such institutions that were imparting modern education in textiles. This would also ensure that there would be no need to spend large amounts of capital on getting experts from abroad. He pointed out that the contribution of UMT for the development of the textile sector was well known to everyone. He also announced setting up of a UMT Center of Excellence for the promotion of technical textiles.
All Pakistan Textile Mills Associations (APTMA), Melanex International, Popular Chemical (Pvt) Ltd, Moderno Fabrics & Apparel, Spelltech International Lahore, Chemical Traders, Eco-Gen Engineering Lahore, Clariant Pakistan, German Specialty Chemicals, Noon Cooperation, and the Institute for Marketecology (IMO) were the leading sponsors of this mega event.
The first technical session was chaired by Mr. S M Qutub, The Textile Institute, Pakistan. Speakers included Dr. Zubair Bandukha (President TIP Karachi), Dr. Faheem Udeen (Pakistan), Mr. Asim Ahmed and Miss Faiza Jamil.
The second technical session was chaired by Dr. Faheem Udeen, University of Management and Technology, Lahore. Papers were presented by B Voncina (Slovenia, Europe), M Salehi (Iran), Dr. Umer Farooq (UK) and Dr. Arshad Mehmood.
Dr. Tanveer Hussain, National Textile University, Faisalabad chaired the third session in which S Ibrahim (Czech Republic), Noman Haleem (Pakistan), Mushtaq Mangat (Pakistan) and Saad Nauman (Iran) presented their technical papers.
Papers were presented by Ms. Fariha Arooj (PU Pakistan), Irfan Ahmed Shaikh (Pakistan), Jausovec, B Vonica (Slovenia, Europe), Dr. Sarwar Rana (Pakistan) and Ibrahim Sayed were speakers of the fourth session chaired by Dr. Amjid Hussain Delawari, Comsats Institute, Pakistan.
The fifth and final session speakers included Dr. Lubos Hes (Czech Republic), Dr. Umer Farooq and Dr. Tahir Shah presented their papers.
The 2nd International Conference on Textile and Clothing (ICTC) 2009 played host to delegates and experts from seven countries of the world who presented their research papers and emphasized the importance of technical textiles for Pakistan. They also urged the government to take steps to develop technical textiles on a priority basis.