LAHORE: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has called on Sialkot’s exporters to set ambitious targets, adopt modern technology and shift from low-cost manufacturing to high-value, internationally recognised brands, as the German-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) held its first-ever business networking reception in the city and signed a landmark agreement with local garment exporters to boost trade with Germany.
Addressing the reception, organised in collaboration with the Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA), Ahsan Iqbal said exporters who earn foreign exchange for the country deserve to be treated as national heroes.
He said Pakistan had a major opportunity to build a complementary partnership with Germany in engineering, technology, manufacturing and technical education, and proposed that incentives be offered to companies that achieve the milestone of becoming Pakistan’s first billion-dollar export enterprise. He added that Germany’s vocational training model could help Pakistan build a more skilled workforce.
The event brought together senior government officials, presidents and office-bearers of various trade associations, and members of Sialkot’s business community.
In a significant development, GPCCI and PRGMEA signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at promoting and expanding the readymade garment trade between Pakistan and Germany.
German Ambassador to Pakistan and GPCCI Patron-in-Chief Ina Lepel, in a recorded video message, stressed the continuing importance of the GSP+ scheme for Pakistan-Germany economic relations and expressed hope to visit Sialkot in the near future. She also praised the resilience of Pakistan’s business sector and said further work remained necessary on matters related to GSP+.
Former Federal Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan said Germany was Pakistan’s most important and largest trading partner within the European Union, and recalled Pakistan’s successful efforts to secure GSP+ status in 2014.
He urged trade associations to help smaller exporters gain greater access to European markets, and congratulated Sialkot-based Forward Sports for manufacturing footballs for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
PRGMEA’s former chairman, Ijaz A. Khokhar, who also serves as Vice President of the International Apparel Federation (IAF), welcomed the GPCCI initiative, saying that stronger business engagement between Pakistan and Germany could help Sialkot’s exporters expand their presence in European markets. He was also congratulated on becoming the first Pakistani to be elected to the vice presidency of the IAF.
GPCCI President Syed Nadeem Ali Kazmi said the reception reflected the chamber’s deliberate effort to extend its activities beyond Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. He invited Sialkot’s industrialists and exporters with German business interests to join GPCCI and make use of its platform to develop trade and investment links.
PRGMEA’s former chairman, Sohail A. Sheikh, speaking on the occasion, stressed the need for stronger institutional cooperation to expand apparel exports, improve access to international markets and enable Pakistani manufacturers to compete in higher-value segments of the industry.
PRGMEA Chairman (North Zone) Imran Salahuddin said the Memorandum of Understanding would provide a framework for sharing trade and investment information and for supporting a more favourable business environment. The agreement was signed by Syed Nadeem Ali Kazmi and Imran Salahuddin.
The reception marked GPCCI’s first business networking initiative in Sialkot, offering a new platform for closer engagement between the city’s export-oriented industries and German businesses.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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