Direct flights to start soon: Zubaydullo

ISLAMABAD: Zubaydullo Zubaydov Tajikistan Ambassador to Pakistan said on Sunday that efforts were being made to start direct flights between Pakistan and Tajikistan to further aggrandize mutual trade between the two countries."A direct flight from Islamabad to Dushanbe takes less time than that

of from Islamabad to Karachi", he said while speaking at a press conference, which was also addressed by representatives of Trade Development Authority (TDAP) and Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FPCCI) here to highlight the objectives of the upcoming visit of a business delegation to Tajikistan.

The Ambassador said that Tajikistan has a lot of potential areas in which the two countries can cooperate with each other. "Power sector is one of the main sectors, where Tajikistan can supply cheaper electricity to Pakistan", he added.

Tariq Iqbal Puri of TDAP said that the Tajik President during his visit to Pakistan in March this year invited a high powered business delegation to visit Tajikistan to deepen the business relationship between the two countries and to explore areas of mutual cooperation.

Tariq Puri said that TDAP and FPCCI have jointly undertaken this important businessmen delegation, which represents the cross section of Pakistan's trade and industry and business leaders from all parts of the country.

The industrial and services sectors represented in the delegation include: Textiles, Rice, Pharmaceutical, Engineering, Financial sector, Food and Agriculture. Information Technology, Minerals, Construction, Travel and Tourism, Leather, Arms and Ammunition, Auto Parts, Cutlery

and other General Products. Areas of interest in the Tajik economy for Pakistani investors include Cotton, Aluminum and Hydel Power sectors in which joint venture opportunities will be explored, he added.

Dr. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, former textile advisor to the Prime Minister, said that the upcoming visit would prove as a role model and after this visit "we will send delegations to other regional countries like Iran, Russia and India".

He said Pakistan can export raw textile material to Tajikistan from where the value added garments can be exported to Russia and other Central Asian countries without duty.

"Tajikistan has also demanded managerial staff from us to support their textile mills", Mirza Ikhtiar added.

Senator Haji Ghulam Ali, while elaborating the objectives of this delegation, delineated the desire of the FPCCI, Pakistan's apex business body, to interact with their counterparts in Tajikistan.

He envisaged that such high level contacts would be highly productive in stimulating new areas of business collaboration between the brotherly countries.

He emphasized the critical role of the FPCCI in forging business-to-business contacts with a view to support the overall government objectives of enhancing the trade and investment through such interaction.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011