The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) held a handover ceremony on Tuesday at the Pakistan Secretariat in Islamabad to officially deliver the “Policy Proposal for Pakistan’s Technical Textiles Development (2026–2035)”. Ms Sodam Baek, Deputy Director of KOICA Pakistan, attended the ceremony as she delivered the proposal to key representatives in the textile industry of Pakistan.
Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Industries Rana Ihsaan Afzal Khan, Director General of Textile, Ministry of Commerce Mudassar Raza Siddiqi, and Rector of the National Textile University Dr Rashid Masood welcomed KOICA for the ceremony. The policy proposal aims to strengthen Pakistan’s capacity in technical textiles – advanced materials used in industries such as automotive, healthcare, and infrastructure – and presents a 10-year roadmap to transform the sector into a high-value and technology-driven industry.
Strategic Priorities
Structured around the technological trends and needs for policy support in Pakistan, the proposal emphasises five strategic priorities: technical innovation, infrastructure development, human resource development, market expansion, and sustainability. Those strategies and targets are expected to contribute to building a strong foundation for the long-term growth of Pakistan’s technical textile industry and realize the proposed vision – achieving sustainable growth as a global leader in high-value technical textiles through advanced technology and enhanced international competitiveness.
Project Background
The proposal was developed as a key outcome of the second phase of the KOICA-funded project titled “Strengthening of the PAK-KOREA Technical Textile Centre” in Faisalabad. Following the first phase that supported advanced production equipment around 2013, KOICA is currently implementing the second phase in partnership with NTU. The project encompasses the policy proposal, construction of Pak-Korea Technical Textile Centre, vocational training, and joint R&D for prototype development.
Under the project, the policy proposal was developed through seven rounds of comprehensive joint task force team meetings between NTU and KOICA’s key implementing partner, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH). Through these efforts, both sides demonstrated their shared commitment to enhancing industrial competitiveness and innovation.
KOICA's Role in Pakistan
Since opening its office in Islamabad in 2010, KOICA has been operating the Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects funded by the Government of the Republic of Korea. Starting from establishing the Pak-Korea Garment Technology Training Centre, KOICA has expanded its contributions to sustainable growth of Pakistan in water, energy, rural development, and other key sectors.
Commitment to Collaboration
The ceremony was concluded with a shared commitment by participants to strengthening bilateral cooperation for the advancement of Pakistan’s technical textile sector. Moving forward, KOICA expressed its willingness to work closely with the Government of Pakistan to translate its roadmap into tangible outcomes, while continuing to promote sustainable industrial transformation and innovation.
In his remarks, Rana Ihsaan Afzal Khan thanked KOICA for its support for the Pak-Korea Technical Textile Centre project and said that he would love to learn more details of the policy proposal and keep communications with KOICA on the role of the Government of Pakistan to realise the proposed roadmap. For her part, Ms Sodam Baek expressed gratitude for the participation of the coordinator and emphasised the importance of active engagement of all stakeholders in order to translate the policy into real actions.
