MULTAN: Federal Textile Minister Rana Farooq Saeed urged international community to give Pakistani products a duty-free access for next ten years if it was sincere to see Pakistan emerging as a self reliant country capable of defeating terrorism and overcoming disasters like current floods.

They 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, said the minister while addressing a ceremony at Multan Chamber of Commerce and industry on Friday.

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

“Pakistan needs 10 year duty free access, withdrawal of anti- dumping duty and enhanced trade to stand on its own feet,” he added.

Rana Farooq said that with more revenues through enhanced exports 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.

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

He said that furious floods have turned wealthy people into beggars and urged the people to seek forgiveness from the Almighty Allah for all their wrongdoings.

The minister said, it was high time for everybody to generously help their brethren and termed it the only way to please Almighty Allah and attract His blessings.

He lauded textile sector for taking lead in extending a helping hand to the flood hit people adding that 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.

He said that a ginning institute would be set up in Multan and land has been purchased for the purpose.

He said that latest US make ginning machinery would be installed and two officials had already left for USA for the purpose.