- At the 6th meeting of the Uzbek-Pakistani Inter-governmental Commission on Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation (IGC) in Tashkent, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Governor of Bukhara, Uzbekistan to build a textile complex in the state. Spanning 30,000 hectares, the complex will reserve a vast space for cultivating cotton. It will also house spinning, weaving, processing and garment units built at a cost of $100 million. Gohar Ijaz Ijaz, Leader, APTMA hopes, Pakistan' s cotton exports would reach $18 billion by next year. The country recently agreed to finalize a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Uzbekistan within three months to boost bilateral trade volume.