New German CG pledges priority to business visas: FPCCI

KARACHI: Atif Ikram Sheikh, President FPCCI, has said the newly-appointed Consul General of Germany in Karachi, Thomas Eberhard Schultze, has apprised the business, industry and trade community from the apex platform of the FPCCI that the business visas will be given priority in the visa issuance to Pakistani citizens as economic relations top the agenda.

Atif Ikram Sheikh stressed that Pakistan has the world’s best textiles and related products; and, Germany should welcome the textile exporters of Pakistan through trade fairs and exhibitions – and, facilitate greater market access to them.

Senior German diplomat visited the FPCCI Head Office, Federation House here to attend a high-profile, interactive and consultative session with the business community.

Thomas Eberhard Schultze, German Consul General in Karachi, stated that Pakistan is an important market for the German companies as it has a large middle-class with reasonable purchasing power; and, German companies have a long-established presence in the region; which dates back to over 100 years. He also expressed his optimism that Pakistani visa applicants have increased a lot in the recent years.

Ambassador Schultze continued that collective efforts are required to increase the numbers vis-à-vis bilateral trade, investments, JVs, industrial collaborations and other areas of economic relations. He also shed light on the geoeconomic position of Pakistan at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia, Middle-east and Europe.

Saquib Fayyaz Magoon, SVP FPCCI, invited the business community and chambers of Germany to be their partner in growth and development of Pakistan; whereas, he outlined the principle objective of FPCCI’s Vision 2030 as achieving $100 billion in annual exports for the country. He put forward the top areas of B2B cooperation as startups, research & development, women empowerment, vocational training and facilitation of business tourism.

Saquib Fayyaz Magoon expressed his pleasure that the German Consulate has appointed a prominent women member of FPCCI, Sahibzadi Mahin Khan, as their focal person on trade and investment for Sindh and Balochistan region.

Hanif Gohar, former SVP FPCCI and currently the Chairman of FPCCI’s Central Standing Committee on Diplomatic Affairs, requested that the German consulate should issue long-term visas to the business community after due diligence of their papers as it can result in enhanced collaborative partnerships between the private-sectors of two countries. Additionally, he proposed that Pakistan has a large, young and skilled pool of human resources; which can be employed across various industries, sectors and regions of Germany.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025