Sri Lanka Pakistan Business Council calls on High Commissioner of Pakistan

The President S. Deivanayagam and committee members of Sri Lanka Pakistan Business Council of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, called on Maj. Gen (R) Umar Farooq Burki HI (M), the High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka.

The High Commissioner was briefed on various activities and initiatives being planned by the Business Council in order to promote trade and investment opportunities between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In this regard, a delegation visit is being planned in early March 2023 by the business council to explore business opportunities with counterparts in Pakistan.

A detailed discussion was held to strategize a way forward to optimize bilateral trade, within the context of current economic scenario. The Business Council appreciated the timely and expeditious actions taken by the Government of Pakistan to facilitate imports from Sri Lanka, despite current challenges. The High Commissioner underscored that such challenges must be viewed as a catalyst for capitalizing on valuable opportunities and that Pakistan would continue to prioritize its relations with Sri Lanka in all facets of cooperation.

The High Commissioner further highlighted that Sri Lanka is considered as a very important regional partner with which Pakistan would like to further enhance its trade, business, and economic relations. To this end, he apprised that business visa applications from Sri Lanka are being processed on priority within 24-48 hours by the High Commission, subject to fulfillment of requirements.

Ms. Asmma Kamal, Trade & Investment Attaché of the Pakistan High Commission, briefed the participants regarding the various high potential sector-specific trade exhibitions being organized in Pakistan by Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan.

She invited Sri Lankan importers, exporters, manufacturers, buying houses and businesses from various sectors to participate in the upcoming four mega trade exhibitions being organized in Pakistan, including Engineering & Healthcare Show (23rd – 25th February 2023 in Lahore), Tech Spring Pakistan for ICT Sector (16-18th March 2023 in Lahore), International Food & Agriculture Exhibition (4-6th May 2023 in Karachi) and the 4th Edition of the International Textile Exhibition known as TeXpo (26-28th May 2023 in Karachi).

The High Commissioner reaffirmed his commitment to support the leadership and members of the Sri Lanka Pakistan Business Council in all possible manner and to continue working closely to promote bilateral trade, joint ventures and economic cooperation between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.