LAHORE: Diplomats and business leaders from across Southeast Asia gathered at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Monday for the ASEAN Trade & Tourism Conference where speakers called for stronger economic ties between Pakistan and the 10-member regional bloc and identified key barriers hindering greater trade and investment.
Presiding over the conference, LCCI President Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol highlighted the disparity between the economic strength of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Pakistan’s limited commercial engagement with the region. He noted that while ASEAN commands a combined GDP of approximately $4 trillion and exports exceeding $1.6 trillion, Pakistan’s exports to the bloc amount to only $1.37 billion.
He called for free trade agreements with ASEAN nations, improved air and shipping connectivity, and the removal of complex certification and tariff barriers that are restricting Pakistani exports of textiles, halal meat, agricultural products and pharmaceuticals.
Diplomats representing Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Myanmar also stressed the need for deeper engagement. Malaysian High Commissioner Dato Mohammad Azhar Mazlan said regional businesses have felt the strain of rising global tensions and noted that Pakistan can play a constructive diplomatic role in easing them.
Thai Ambassador Rongvudhi Virabutr expressed optimism that a preferential trade agreement between Pakistan and Thailand is expected soon, which could reduce bilateral tariffs to as low as zero percent.
Speakers further emphasised Pakistan’s growing information technology sector as an untapped avenue for digital services exports to ASEAN markets, while several ambassadors extended investment invitations in sectors ranging from tourism to petrochemicals.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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