Reconciliatory policy to bring political stability: PM Gilani
KARACHI, July 30 (APP):  Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said here on Saturday  that  he was pursing  policy of reconciliation  for promoting   political and economic stability in the country.He said this while addressing the fourth edition of the Brands of the Year Award ceremony held at Sindh Governor House.Earlier, the Prime Minister presented the awards to  183 winners of various categories.Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said the stability in Karachi is imperative for  strengthening economy in the country, which   then leads to overall political stability.He congratulated the people of Karachi on organising peace walk in the Karachi and said participation of all political parties had  made it successful.
He said after the holy month of Ramazan-ul-Mubarak, he will invite the winners of the Brands Award to the Prime Minister House in the Federal Capital.
 Speaking about Brands of the Year Award, the Prime Minister said this initiative has provided a forum to exhibit the  best brands of Pakistan every year, which are therefater evaluated to determine their demand in the  market and the preference of the consumers .
Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said that it is the first time in the history of   Pakistan that it would be able to earn  dollar  25 billion   through exports.
   He said  our forex reserves have exceeded   dollar 18.20 billion mark and these continue to rise at a reasonable rate, he added.
The Prime Minister said the remittances from Pakistanis abroad are also touching an  all time high mark of  dollar 12 billion and despite serious internal and external challenges   ‘we have been able to make progress.
 He said that many  challenges we face at present also pose problems  beyond our borders, whether it is tackling climate change or fighting terrorism or global recessions.   All these problems require global solution.
He  said countries, all over the world, are  reviewing their national identities and priorities as they compete with neighbours and regional blocs for power, influence and wealth.
Whatever may happen, the world economy will  certainly rise  two-fold  in the next 20 years, Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani added.
 He said    those countries will  benefit that can create high valued  products and services and train people    in order to equip them with   best skills.
 Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said he has been informed that this activity has attained the confidence of the business community.
 He lauded the management of the Brands of the Year Award” which, has  transformed itself into a new thriving entity of a public company, that is, Brands Foundation as a non-profit organisation.
 This legal mandate will now   focus on national level projects and  objectively carry out the tasks.
 Prime Minister Gilani said in order to safeguard the intellectual capital of branding, he  feels pleased to inform that IPO Pakistan has opted to conduct the first ever Intellectual Property Survey in Pakistan in collaboration with Brands Foundation.
The corporate community will have to make it a success in their own interest so that their Intellectual Property Rights can be protected, he added.
 He said quality is the first word towards building brands and the Brands Foundation has also been entrusted with another considerably gigantic task of developing Pakistan’s first Brand Quality assurance labs.
 Prime Minister, Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said he also acknowledges the role of private sector for their endeavours in revenue generation, creation of employment opportunities, maintaining industrial growth and contribution to overall economic development.
 He said he is confident that under the public-private partnership of Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan (IPO), the Brands Foundation will set the bar at a higher  level for all others to follow.
Gilani said he has been pleased to learn that Brands Foundation with its
 well defined mandate has decided to take some innovative and revolutionary steps towards development of Pakistani Brands through implementation of projects like Brand Audit, Brands Index of Pakistan, IP Survey and Brands University.
 He noted that the significance of brands can easily be understood by the fact that economy of the world today is driven by fortune brands that hold  40 per cent share of the total GDP of the world, that is, US$ 60 trillion.
 Prime Minister Gilani  said it will be worthwhile to know that 65 per cent of the world’s total economy lies with brand owners, while annual turnover of some of these fortune brands is far bigger than some developed countries annual budgets.
Many developed and under developed countries do realise the fact that today’s economy is of brand empowerment, the Prime Minister added.
 He said in the wake of the importance of brand equity development the target should be to improve brands to the level where consumer feels pride in using the products.
To attain this status one has to keep pace with the technological advances and consumers’ needs through innovation, he added.
 Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said unmatchable quality, performance and reliability are essential factors for any brand to enter  into the marketplace.
He said without a powerful and positive reputation or nation-brand no country can consistently compete for consumers, tourists, investors, immigrants and attention of other countries as well as the world’s media.
The Prime Minister said the branding of Pakistan is not a choice but a necessity. To succeed, it requires a concerted effort by all stakeholders including government, citizens, businesses, media, political parties, charities, educational institutions, sporting organisations etc.
 Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said  that to carve out a respectable status in the comity of nations, we cannot be complacent. We must change our mindset and it requires a quantum leap.
He  said in the comity of nations, Pakistan is a relatively young developing nation and some of our success is due to the fact that we have been granted natural  advantages in terms of fertile land and natural resources, whereas, part of our success is due to our ability to adapt to changing circumstances by implementing pragmatic policies.
 The Prime Minister said this has definitely been the case of our economy and we took advantage of our low cost labour to transform from being a commodity producer to becoming a basic level manufacturing-driven economy.
 However, we must realise that supplying basic level manufacturing goods at low price cannot sustain our competitiveness and it will not enable us to take that quantum leap that is required at present, he said.
The Prime Minister said what is needed is a greater emphasis on enhancing our technological capabilities and ability to innovate. It is essential that we extract more value from what we reap and inject more value into what we produce, he added.
 He said the government is putting  policies in place to promote and facilitate investment and trade for local and international investors.
He was of the view that there are no short-cuts to economic prosperity and he does not think that the road ahead would be an easy one.  “But if all stakeholders work together,  I am confident that we can build a more prosperous and stable economy,” he added.The Prime Minister also lauded the efforts for partnership of IPO and Brands Foundation and termed it a materialisation of the future oriented objectives related with Pakistani brands and Brands of Pakistan.
 He congratulated all the winners of Brands Awards and said he is confident that they will increase their brand value in future.
 Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said he is sure that through partnerships we can make Pakistan a productive and prosperous country.
 Addressing the ceremony, Chairman Brands Award Council, Tariq Sayeed called for the need to promote brands development in the country and said it will help improve the exports.
 He said it is a plan of the Brands Foundation to establish first ever Brands University in the country.
 Speaking on the occasion, President Brands Award Council, Zahid Malik recalled his foreign visits with  Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani  and said that the Prime Minister has always tried to attract trade for the country.
 Addressing the ceremony, Chairman, Intellectual Property Organisation, Pakistan, Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi called for the registration of  Brands with the IPO.
 Earlier, the winners of  Brands Awards, who had been declared winners out of total 1100 contenders,  received total 183 awards under different categories from Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.
 Sindh Governor Dr. Ishrat-ul- Ebad Khan and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and other notables were present on the occasion.