Delegates from 7 countries presented their papers at the 2nd International Conference on Textile and Clothing (ICTC) 2009, primarily focussing on Technical Textiles.

 Technical Textiles is the most promising area that must attract government priority to lead Pakistan in to the new realm of competitive world. The fact was highlighted by the speakers from seven countries who were present in the 2nd International Conference on Textile and Clothing held on May 7-8, 2009 at the Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore, organized by the University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore and The Textile Institute UK.  The conference attracted a large number of textile experts, researchers, industrialists and textile students.

Dr. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig	Mian Tariq Mehmood, Chairman APTMA

ICTC-2009 is a serious effort in Pakistan to explore business and value addition opportunities in the promising technical textiles sector, remarked Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Textiles, who was the Chief Guest of the concluding ceremony of the 2nd ICTC - 2009.

While speaking on the occasion he acknowledged that textiles generated forty percent employment in the country and constituted sixty percent of the GDP. He said that the National Textile Policy was formulated by the Government after taking all stakeholders into confidence but suggestions for improvement were welcome from all quarters. The policy aimed to increase exports and stimulate industrial productivity. He added that the Textile City was being set up with the same purpose and its impact on the industry was being gauged on a daily basis.

Dr Baig said that the ICTC-2009 would serve as a platform for cross-fertilization of ideas through meaningful interaction of scholars, practitioners and experts already working in this area or who have a stake in this key sector and we look forward to benefit from the deliberations. Technical textiles will be one of the most prosperous industries in the coming years, he added. Unfortunately, Pakistan is far behind in technical textiles.

He also promised financial assistance by the government for setting up a Technical Textile Research and Development Center in UMT. He said that the government was considering abolishing all duties on raw materials and friendly countries were being consulted for technology transfer. He added that ensuring access to international markets was also a top priority.

Mian Tariq Mehmood, Chairman All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore, Dr Rashid Kausar, Pro-Rector UMT, and Nusrat Ali Chisti, Secretary, Textile Institute, UK, addressed the inaugural ceremony. The speakers highlighted the significance of the textile sector, particularly technical textiles, for Pakistan.

Earlier, Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad welcomed Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig to the ICTC-2009 and hoped that the conference would lead to better collaboration in the textile sector in general and technical textile in particular between the government, educational institutions and industries, thus ensuring better research. He also announced setting up of a UMT Center of Excellence for the promotion of technical textiles.

All Pakistan Textile Mills Associations (APTMA), Melanex International, Popular Chemical (Pvt) Ltd, Moderno Fabrics & Apparel, Spelltech International Lahore, Chemical Traders, Eco-Gen Engineering Lahore, Clariant Pakistan, German Specialty Chemicals, Noon Cooperation, the Institute for Marketecology (IMO), Pakistan Textile Journal, and Messe Frankfurt Pakistan were the sponsors of this event.

Mr. Mushtaq Mangat.	Mr. Abid Ganaie.

The technical sessions

The first technical session was chaired by Mr S M Qutub, The Textile Institute, Pakistan. Speakers included Dr Zubair Bandukha (President TIP Karachi), Dr Faheem Udeen (Pakistan), Mr Asim Ahmed and Miss Faiza Jamil from TIP, Karachi.

The second technical session was chaired by Dr Faheem Udeen, University of Management and Technology, Lahore. Papers were presented by B Voncina (Slovenia, Europe), M Salehi (Iran), Dr Umer Farooq (UK) and Dr Arshad Mehmood.

Dr Tanveer Hussain, National Textile University, Faisalabad chaired the third session in which S. Ibrahim (Czech Republic), Noman Haleem (Pakistan), Mushtaq Mangat (Pakistan) and Saad Nauman (Iran) presented their technical papers.

Papers were presented by Ms Fariha Arooj (PU Pakistan), Irfan Ahmed Shaikh (Pakistan), Jausovec, B Vonica (Slovenia, Europe), Dr Sarwar Rana (Pakistan) and Ibrahim Sayed. The session was chaired by Dr Amjid Hussain Delawari, Comsats Institute, Pakistan.

The fifth and final session speakers included Dr Lubos Hes (Czech Republic), Dr Umer Farooq and Dr Tahir Shah presented their papers.

The 2nd International Conference on Textile and Clothing (ICTC) 2009 played host to delegates and experts from seven countries of the world who presented their research papers and emphasized the importance of technical textiles for Pakistan. They also urged the government to take steps to develop technical textiles on a priority basis.

Presentations

After the Technical presentations, Mr. Khalid Rasool, of Phoenix Consulting highlighted the future course of action for Pakistan’s textile industry for improving global standing.  Mr. Manzoor of Samad Rubber presented the highly successful range of technical textile products their company has been producing for more than 50 years.  Mr. Umer Salahuddin also gave a short presentation of Techtextil exhibition held in Frankfurt Germany, which is the premier event for technical textiles in the world.

Conclusion

The 2nd International Textile and Clothing Conference was a well organised event by Textile Institute , Lahore section a 2nd UMT.  Such events are necessary for for creating awareness  of the vast  and highly lucrative field of technical textiles in which Pakistan is lagging behind. 

"Glimpses of 2nd ICTC 2009"