MULTA(SANA): Federal Textile Minister Rana Farooq Saeed said that if the international community was sincere with Pakistan and it wanted to see Pakistan emerging as a self reliant country, it should give Pakistani products a duty-free access for next 10 years.

Addressing a ceremony at Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the other day, he said that the international community did it for Haiti and Sri Lanka and should replicate the same gesture for Pakistan that has already suffered US$100 billion losses in war against terrorism while the scars left the history’s worst floods are yet to be counted.

He underscored that Pakistan was fighting against terrorism not just for its own sake, but also for the international community.

He stressed that Pakistan needed 10-year duty free access, withdrawal of anti- dumping duty and enhanced trade to stand on its own feet.

He expressed hope that the generation of more revenue through enhanced exports, the country would no more be in need of aid and would be better placed to invest in social sector to distribute prosperity and discourage extremism based ideologies.

Rana Farooq said that US was a friendly country and should take lead in giving Pakistani products an easy access to its market.

He underlined that it was high time for everybody to generously help their brethren as, he added, it was the only way to please Almighty Allah and attract His blessings.

Appreciating the textile sector for taking lead in extending a helping hand to the flood hit people, he said that the APTMA members were running a camp of 15,000 affected persons in Karachi, arranging cooked food in Sukkur and distributing one million bottles of mineral water.

He also sought assistance from APTMA for a proposed plan to rehabilitate each flood-damaged village and turn it into model village.