ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Minister for Commerce Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan on Monday said that his ministry was planning to host a Saudi investors’ conference in Islamabad for apprising them regarding emerging business opportunities in the country.
He was talking to Saudi Arabian Ambassador Abdullah Marzouk Al-Zahrani, who called on him.
Khurram Dastgir said that a grand marketing campaign would be maunched in Saudi Arabia focusing on the huge South Asian diaspora and the native Saudi population to create awareness about the Pakistani products.
Meanwhile, the Commerce Minister in a meeting with Indian High Commissioner Guatam Bambawale here, said the two countries should focus on removal of non-tariff trade barriers.
He said that the two countries should focus on visa facilitation for the business persons, enhance banking contacts and remove other non-tariff hindrances which retarded the flow of trade under the existing regime.
The High Commissioner said that India had started issuing three-year multiple entry visas to Pakistani businessmen which would pave way for more frequent and enhanced business-to-business interaction.
The minister said that last year Pakistani exhibition organized by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) in New Delhi was a resounding success and created awareness among Indian buyers about the fashion brands of Pakistan.
“Such exhibitions will be replicated in the future,” he added.
Khurram Dastgir also held a meeting with Afghan Ambassador Omer Zakhilwal and discussed issues regarding bilateral and transit trade.
The two sides agreed to hold a high level meeting involving all the stake-holders to discuss issues faced by traders of both countries at operational level.
The minister said that Pakistan attached high priority to the enhancement of regional trade and undertook several measures last year which resulted in increase in number of Afghan transit cargo over the past few months.
He said that the Gawadar-Chaman Road constructed under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would provide a short link to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries to access ports and enhance trade with the outside world.
In his meeting with the Minister of Commerce, Ambassador of Uzbekistan FurkatSidikov said that Uzbekistan would start direct passenger and cargo flights from Lahore to Tashkent twice a week from July 20 this year.
This will promote the export of perishable goods especially bananas and mangoes which Uzbekistan used to import from Latin American countries could now be imported from Pakistan because of the availability of direct flights, he added.
Sidikov said that Uzbekistan grew some finest quality cotton which could feed the sophisticated textile industry of Pakistan manufacturing their products for the high-end fashion consumers of the West.
He said that Uzbekistan specialized in agricultural tools and machinery and would hold an exhibition this year in Lahore to display the whole range of its agri-machinery.
Source: APP
