Staff Reporter
Islamabad
The upper house of the Parliament has referred the Geographical Indications (GI) Bill, 2020 to the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce for further deliberations.
The Standing Committee will discuss the GI Bill in detail and place it before the upper house for its approval, after which the Bill will be forwarded to the lower house for the final discussion.
The GI Bill, 2020 is thus in its final shape which would pave the way for the protection of Pakistani brands worldwide and ensure higher value for local manufacturers abroad. The Bill was pending for over 12 years and some foreign companies have been misusing Pakistan origin products under their name tags.
A geographical indication is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. After the passage of this law, Indigenous products of Pakistan will get premium price in the international market.
Our national products e.g. Sargodah Kinnow, Multan Mango, Sindhi Ajrak, Balochi Saji, Peshawari Chapal etc. will be introduced in the international market as national brands of Pakistan.
