PORTLAND Nike, a major US group, has shown interest in coming back to Pakistan for business and resume football and sports apparels import. Nike management told Secretary Industries, Shahab Khawaja here during a meeting the other day that it was interested in doing business with Pakistani partners subject to compliance of social responsibilities on their part, besides improving football and sports apparels' quality. It demanded that football and apparels exporters belonging to Sialkot should understand the changing world demand and come up with the new ideas and applications of technology for their products.

Nike, being one of major groups in the USA, used to import huge quantity of football and sports apparels from Sialkot. It walked out of Pakistan in 2006 on the pretext that its business partners were not producing quality products for its customers.

It also raised other questions such as non-compliance of social requirements by Pakistani exporters terming it as a major reason of its exit from Pakistan. It showed dissatisfaction over football quality.

Sialkot-based football manufacturers heavily depend on handmade quality. They did not invest in technology application and lost many major buyers like Nike in the global market.

This is not the only case, which has hit hard Pakistan's efforts to increase share in international market for trade and secure more exports. In many other areas Pakistan lost buyers for not shifting to technology use from traditional manual working style. The outdated style of manufacturing really gave a big blow to Pakistan's sports' exports.

After exit from Pakistan, Nike shifted its business to China and some other countries for import of football and sports apparels. However, the government is making all possible efforts to bring Nike back to Pakistan and help exporters to again get its orders for export of football and sports apparels.

Shahab Khawaja's meeting with Nike management in Portland, Oregon was in the same context. He is in Portland to attend a Global Conference on Competitiveness.

Khawaja told Business Recorder that his meeting with Nike management was very encouraging and it is going to bring good result for Pakistan. He said, "I told Nike management that the government of Pakistan was taking practical steps to make sure that football and sports apparels exporters provide the best quality products and at the same time they meet social responsibilities requirements.

Khawaja added that Nike 's head of corporate division is going to visit Pakistan likely in November this year to see what Pakistan has done in practical terms to encourage the use of technology and social sector responsibilities compliance. The Secretary was confident that his meeting would prove successful in bring Nike back to Pakistan for import of football and sports apparels.

Sialkot-based football manufacturers heavily depend on handmade quality. They did not invest in technology application and lost many major buyers like Nike in the global market.

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To hell with Nike i remember when they walked out on us they made a huge fuss i have have one sentence for them FUC.K OFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF.

Bad attitude. You have to meet strict standards to be able to do dealings with Nike. Pakistani companies should adapt new technology to have an edge.

All business is good. If they are coming back, welcome them.

Americans can never be relied upon as business partners ever heard of BCCI the pakistani bank that was voted as the worlds greatest muslim bank, was listed in worlds top 3 banks and happened to be a bank run by muslims and arabs what happened they labeled the bank to be involved in funding black money and then took out all they had their froze alot of accounts and the bank went bankrupt so thanks but no thanks i wouldnt rather have indians here in our businesses then them.

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These bastards distroy everything we muslims worked for imagine in 1990 the bank had $25billion assets that speaks for its self but they(americans)got scared and distroyed it. it was all a big lie.

thats a different story most of us were children back then but thats reality of having business with the americans and competing againt them, they just punish or ruin you completely.

Agha Hassan Abedi the founder of the BCCI had a great role in funding pakistan's nuclear program as well only those with knowledge know these facts i guess he was punished for loving Pakistan like a true Pakistani(alas he ended up paying a big price) America distroyed him,his bank and so many jobs.

Is it possible for Nike to buy the products and label them...and then offer them to the Pakistani market as Nike products?

Yes that happens shoes are made here and sold for like 200 t0 300 dollars.

Ya but how many people do you know that buy shoes (or any other apparel) that is made in Pakistan for 200 dollars. Only the very elite, the very stupid elite (I mean I buy stuff for that price, but it isn't made in Pakistan; ex. I buy suits that are made in Italy etc.).

It is true business is business. We need to improve technologies in many fields, it will make us more competitive in textiles, sport goods and other leather goods. And improvement in farming tech will also help us increase the amount of food grown per acre, the amount of food grown per farmer, and can even change the amount of water/fertilizer needed for plants (genetically engineered seeds require less water and fertilizer then regular seeds). These are just some examples there are plenty of others.

U know what, im always amazed at the fact that we produce somewhere close to 80% of the worlds football and hell alot of other sporting goods but still we dont get much benifit out of it...

What pi$$ me off even more is that, our producers dont have their own brand... if all the foot ball producers got together and made their own brand and made it popular than they could earn hell alot more than what they got from nike... See nike wont be able to complete as producers can always sell bit lower than nike... eg: nikes buys football from Pakistan say for $5 dollars and sells that very football for $30.... Now our makers are only getting $5 dollars but if they make one brand and sell it locally and internationally and even if they sell it for $20 dollars they are still better off than $5 dollar they will get from nike...

Beside its the same quailty football that nike sells.... What our nation laks is business planners and advertisers, once we get ppl in that field there is sooo much potiential in Pakistan to really take on big international companies.