'BORDER BEING SEALED TO END SMUGGLING'

Dawn

Bureau Report

ISLAMABAD, Jan 12: The government has started the job of sealing off Pak-Afghan border to curb the smuggling specially with a view to eliminating billions of dollars parallel black economy in the country.

"We have decided to launch a crackdown on Bara markets and this will be done shortly after the sealing off Pak-Afghan border", said Minister for Commerce and Investment Ishaq Dar.

Speaking at a news conference here on Monday he admitted that without sealing off the border effectively, it was difficult to stop the inflow of foreign goods into Pakistan. "As a first step, we need to seal off this Pak-Afghan border", he said adding that the relevant authorities were working on a plan to eventually launch a massive crackdown on all illegal markets selling foreign goods.

Responding to a question Ishaq Dar said that the government did not feel any necessity to devalue the Pak currency in future. "There is no plan to devalue our currency," he said adding that the people should stop believing rumours being spread by the vested interest.

To another question, he said that it has happened for the first time in last ten years that exports have increased by eight per cent in the first half of any financial year.

"This is quite an achievement to have eight per cent exports increased in six months of 1997-98," Ishaq Dar said. He said that imports have gone down which "is a good thing for the country". He said there was no justification to import such items which did not contribute to the economy. He said manufacturing sector has started picking up and that the "industrial revival is very much there".