The consul general of Malaysia, Ismail Bin Mohamad Bkri, has spoken of his country's interest in import of fruits, vegetables, meat, and textile products from Pakistan. Addressing members of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry he said that Malaysia offers great opportunities for investment and trade in a number of areas, which need to be tapped.
He said that Pakistan's business community should play a role in improving the image of Pakistan in the eyes of other countries. He said when a delegation visits Pakistan, the economic conditions projected hurt economic perceptions about it. The president of the KATI, Tariq Malik, said that Pakistan has a great potential in Halal meat, processed food, fruits, textile, leather and a number of other products, and there is need for exploring the opportunities for expansion of trade relations with this country.
Shahid Javed Qureshi said that Pakistan is a vast country with a history of more than seven thousand years, and billions of dollars could be earned if its tourism sector were promoted. This would be one of the easiest ways to uplift the country's economy because tourism promotes employment. He said that Pakistan can provide quality rice on low cost to Malaysia, which imports rice at higher costs from the ASEAN countries.
Tariq Malik said that Pakistan and Malaysia have strong relations rooted in a common culture, and this could help in the promotion of bilateral economic and trade relations. He also conveyed the welcome message by Petron in Chief of KATI to the honorable guest. Masood Naqi said that currently the Pakistani economy is facing huge pressures because of its trade deficit. The FTA between the two countries largely favours Malaysia, if the two countries work together to improve their product lists to assess the consequences of the agreements, mutual trade can be increased. The Malaysian consul general responded that Malaysia is always ready to facilitate Pakistani investors for access its market.