LAHORE: Ambassador of Nepal Rita Dhital has called for direct air connectivity, regular exchange of trade delegations, single-country exhibitions and business-to-business matchmaking to enhance trade, investment and tourism between Pakistan and Nepal.
Speaking at an interactive session at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), she said direct air links would facilitate business travel, tourism and people-to-people contacts. She noted that Nepal Airlines had previously operated flights to Karachi, while the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had operated flights from Islamabad to Kathmandu until 2011.
The ambassador said Nepal and Pakistan shared decades of warm and friendly relations based on mutual trust, respect and common aspirations for development. However, she observed that their economic and commercial ties did not yet reflect the potential of their political and diplomatic relationship.
She said the two countries had signed a trade agreement in 1982, followed by the establishment of the Nepal-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission in 1983 at the finance ministers’ level. An agreement on avoidance of double taxation was signed in 2001, while a joint business council between the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry was established in 1996. A MoU between the Nepal Chamber of Commerce and LCCI was also signed in 1993.
“Governments can sign agreements, but it is the business community that turns those agreements into economic reality,” she said, urging businesses of both countries to operationalise existing agreements and MoUs through regular exchanges and concrete commercial initiatives.
Ms Dhital said Pakistani investors had previously established joint ventures in Nepal’s textile, hotel and banking sectors. She identified textiles, leather products and surgical equipment as promising areas for Pakistani businesses, while Nepal could export tea, coffee, herbs, handicrafts and agricultural products to Pakistan.
She also highlighted tourism and hospitality as major areas of cooperation, saying Pakistani companies could explore Nepal’s expanding tourism sector, including luxury resorts and adventure tourism.
The ambassador invited LCCI leadership and members to lead a trade delegation to Nepal and assured them of her embassy’s support in arranging B2B matchmaking. She also offered assistance to Pakistani businesses seeking to organise single-country exhibitions in Nepal.
LCCI President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol said bilateral trade, averaging just over USD 4 million, did not correspond with the cordial relations between the two countries.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan trade data, Pakistan’s exports to Nepal stood at around USD 1.4 million during 2025-26, while imports from Nepal were around USD 2.8 million. Saigol said Nepal was home to Mount Everest while Pakistan had K2, adding that joint ventures in hospitality and ecotourism could help attract international tourists to a South Asian adventure tourism corridor.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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