Haroon Akhtar Khan, the prime minister’s adviser on industries and production, told members of the All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association (APTPMA) in Lahore on 3 October that textile exports should move further towards finished and higher-value products. He described Pakistan as having an integrated textile chain spanning cotton, yarn, fabric, processing and garments. In his view, the central challenge is to turn that existing structure into greater product value and quality suited to global markets. The remarks were a policy appeal about the sector’s direction, not an announcement of a new support package.

Khan said international buyers increasingly consider more than price: quality, environmental sustainability, product traceability, design and delivery schedules also shape purchasing decisions. These demands, he argued, require Pakistani manufacturers to improve consistency and meet customer requirements. Pakistan exports basic inputs such as raw cotton and yarn as well as finished goods, but the adviser said the share of exports incorporating more labour, technology, design and brand value should grow. The official account supplied no product-specific target or buyer commitment.

Another theme was the development of Pakistani brands. Khan said the country should not remain only a supplier manufacturing for international labels; it should also take its own design and brand value to global markets. Research and development, innovation, marketing and quality improvement were among the tools he identified. Investment in modern machinery, technology, skilled workers and training could improve productivity, he said. These points were presented as government and industry priorities. The announcement did not report a specific investment or say that domestic brands had entered new markets.

Khan said the National Industrial Policy was being built around production, investment, productivity and exports, and that unnecessary regulatory barriers should be reduced. Tariff rationalisation, timely decisions and simpler administrative processes were cited as ways to improve the business environment. He acknowledged that energy prices, taxation, refunds, access to finance and trade facilitation are important cost issues for manufacturers. The government was continuing engagement with industry on these concerns, he said, but did not specify which tax or energy rules would change or when.

The message was that textile competitiveness cannot rest on low costs alone; product quality, reliable processes, workforce skills and market access need to advance together. Pakistan’s integrated supply base was presented as a starting advantage, but higher export earnings were not described as automatic or guaranteed. The ministry said many industry representatives attended the APTPMA function. Its account contained no newly enacted textile programme, budget allocation, approved financing or quantified export forecast. It therefore records an industrial policy discussion rather than a completed reform or commercial outcome.