Dastgir holds talks with envoys: NTBs, transit trade and cargo links discussed

Commerce Minister Engineer Khurram Dastgir on Monday held meetings with Indian High Commissioner, Afghan ambassador, Saudi ambassador and Uzbekistan ambassador and discussed issues of mutual interest. Talking to Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Gautam Bambawale, the Commerce Minister said Pakistan and India should focus on removal of non-tariff trade barriers in order to facilitate trade.
The minister said that the two countries should focus on visa facilitation for businessmen, enhance banking contacts and remove other non-tariff hindrances which retard the flow of trade under the existing regime. High Commissioner said that India has started issuing three-year multiple entry visas to Pakistani businessmen which will pave the way for more frequent and enhanced business-to-business interaction.
Dastgir said that last year Pakistani exhibition organised by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) in New Delhi was a resounding success and created awareness among Indian buyers about the fashion brands of Pakistan. Such exhibitions will be replicated in the future, he added.
Indian High Commissioner also stated that since most of the work on trade liberalisation has also been done now both countries should move forward. He also cited his recent visit to Lahore saying that the business community there was upbeat about improvement in trade relations between the two countries. He further stated that Indian entrepreneurs will organise exhibition in Pakistan once security situation improves. Dastgir also held a meeting with Omer Zakhilwal, Ambassador of Afghanistan to Pakistan and discussed issues of bilateral and transit trade. The two sides agreed to hold a high level meeting involving all the stake-holders to discuss issues faced by traders of both countries at operational level.
The minister said that Pakistan attaches high priority to the enhancement of regional trade and undertook several measures last year which resulted in increase in number of Afghan transit cargo over the past few months. He said that the Gwadar-Chaman Road constructed under the CPEC will provide a short link to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries to access ports and enhance trade with the outside world. Talking to the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia Abdullah Marzouk Al-Zahrani, the Minister for Commerce said that Pakistan will launch a grand marketing campaign in Saudi Arabia focusing on the large South Asian Diaspora and the native Saudi population to create awareness about Pakistani products. Pakistan is planning to host a Saudi investors' conference in Islamabad in order to apprise Saudi investors on the emerging business opportunities in Pakistan.
In his meeting with the Minister of Commerce, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan, Furkat Sidikov said that Uzbekistan would start direct passenger and cargo flights from Lahore to Tashkent twice a week from 20th July this year. This will promote the export of perishable goods especially bananas and mangoes which Uzbekistan used to import from Latin American countries and can now import from Pakistan because of the availability of direct flights.
Sidikov said that Uzbekistan grows the finest quality cotton which could feed the sophisticated textile industry of Pakistan for the high-end fashion consumers of the West. He said that Uzbekistan specialises in agricultural tools and machinery and will hold an exhibition this year in Lahore to display the whole range of its agri-machinery.