Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan Suhrab Hossain has stressed Saarc nations to enhance bilateral trade in the region by eliminating tariff barriers to eradicate poverty and bring economic prosperity.
Talking to a delegation of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) here on Friday, he said that Pakistan can supply engineering goods to regional countries including sugar and cement plants, industrial equipment, ships, automobiles, small aircrafts, machine tools, domestic appliances and defence equipment.
The FPCCI delegation was led by Chairman FPCCI, Capital Office Hameed Akhtar Chadda, Chairman Co-ordination Raza Khan, Chairman Media and PR Malik Sohail, SVC on Diplomatic Relations Kanwar Qutbuddin and President Women's Chamber Samina Fazil, he said that enhanced interaction between officials as well as businessmen of the two countries will benefit both.
He said that Pakistan could achieve its export target of $24.86 billion for the next fiscal year by focusing on regional markets. "Pakistan needs to improve law and order situation and do a little more for consistency in policies with stress on implementation to grow, as this brotherly country has everything needed for progress," said Hossain.
However, he said, situation in Pakistan is not as bad as pictured by foreign media. Suhrab Hossain said that Pakistan has good educational institutions that can benefit his country in a great way. The High Commissioner invited FPCCI delegation to visit Bangladesh along with business leaders Tariq Sayyed, Iftikhar Malik and President FPCCI Ghulam Ali to explore business opportunities and meet president, prime minister, commerce minister and businesspersons.
At the occasion, Malik Sohail Hussain said that enhanced trade is the need of the hour as majority of world's poor live in the region that can only be bailed out with the help of trade. He told the High Commissioner that FPCCI will facilitate his visits to all the major business chambers of Pakistan and lauded the role of Anis-ul-Haque, President Saarc CCI in promoting regional trade.
The nominal trade between the two countries needs to be enhanced for mutual benefit, said Sohail, adding that both the governments should adopt trade friendly policies and waive tariff barriers, cultural accords and introduce soft-loan facilities. This will bring people and the entrepreneurs of both the countries closer, he said.