LAHORE: Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan Timothy Kane has expressed optimism that negotiations on a modern Pakistan-Australia bilateral investment treaty will be concluded by December this year, describing the agreement as an important step towards encouraging greater Australian investment in Pakistan.
Speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), he said Australia and Pakistan already had a bilateral investment treaty dating back to 1998, but the agreement needed to be modernised according to the changing requirements of both economies. Finalisation of the modernised treaty would send a positive signal to the Australian investors regarding investment opportunities in Pakistan, he added.
He further said that both the countries needed to do more to strengthen their trade and economic relationship and referred to the Pakistan-Australia Joint Trade Committee meeting held in Canberra last August where a number of issues were discussed including improved market access for Pakistani mangoes and better facilities in Pakistan for checking mangoes before their potential export to Australia.
Timothy said that agriculture remained a major area of cooperation between the two countries, noting that Australian agricultural trade with Pakistan was worth almost one billion Australian dollars last year. He said the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) had maintained a presence in Pakistan for more than four decades and had invested almost 100 million dollars in cooperation with Pakistani universities, businesses and other stakeholders in agricultural research and innovation.
Highlighting the growing cooperation in livestock and dairy development, he said more than 100,000 Australian cattle had so far been exported to Pakistan, with most of them going to Punjab. Australian cattle genetics could significantly improve milk production and strengthen local herds.
Timothy said a Pakistani delegation would visit Australia next month to examine opportunities in pulses, including varieties better adapted to Pakistan’s climatic conditions. He further said Australia was looking forward to exporting GMO canola to Pakistan following the country’s approval of genetically modified canola.
He revealed that during his current visit to Lahore, he had met a major Pakistani apparel company that was interested in entering the Australian market. Pakistani apparel products offered impressive quality and had strong potential in Australia, particularly because of the country’s multicultural population.
Speaking about education and skills development, Timothy said education represented a major component of Pakistan-Australia economic relations. There had been around 20,000 Pakistani students in Australia until recently.
On business visas, the Australian HC said Australia’s visa system was non-discriminatory and that applicants who followed the required procedures and provided the necessary information generally had a strong chance of obtaining visas.
LCCI President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol said Pakistan’s exports to Australia mainly comprised home textiles and apparel, rice, surgical instruments and sports goods. He identified industrial workwear, safety gloves for the mining and agriculture sectors, auto parts, engineering goods, leather products, spices, specialty food products, pink salt, marble and stone products, furniture and carpets as promising areas for export expansion.
The LCCI President expressed hope that the visit of the Australian High Commissioner would provide fresh momentum to bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation and pave the way for stronger engagement between the business communities of Pakistan and Australia.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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