KARACHI: Pakistan’s High Commissioner-designate to Canada Ameer Khurram Rathore on Monday said promotion of trade relations between Pakistan and Canada will be his highest priority in line with the policy of the government to boost exports.
Pakistan and Canada enjoy good bilateral relations which will be further strengthened to increase the volume of trade and commerce between the two countries, he said in a statement. “The private sector of both the friendly countries are playing a good role in driving the trade and investment ties and the volume of trade will grow after the travel restrictions are eased,” he said while speaking to the President of Pakistan Chapter of US-Pakistan International Chamber of Commerce (USPICC) Muhammad Ahmed and Secretary-General Malik Sohail Hussain.
Rathore said that Canadian investors would be asked to avail the opportunity as Pakistan was a growing market in which there was no restraint on repatriation of dividends for the foreign investors. Canadian businessmen could benefit from Pakistan’s geostrategic position and use it as a hub for the manufacturing their products to be further sent to Central Asia and other parts in the region, he added.
Moreover, he said that he would be developing the synergy between the chambers and trade bodies of the two countries to exploit the full potential of the economic opportunities. The High Commission will work with the Canadian chambers and trade bodies to develop a partnership with their Pakistani counterparts to explore avenues of cooperation that will enhance trade relations.
“I will fully support implementable plans for business development for the benefit of Pakistani and Canadian businesses,” he underlined. Rathore said that he would try his best to serve the Pakistani expatriates living in Canada, resolve their problems and convince them to launch investment and development initiatives in Pakistan and to invest heavily in Roshan Digital Accounts introduced by State Bank of Pakistan which is a success story.
On the occasion, Muhammad Ahmed who is also immediate past president of ICCI and Malik Sohail Hussain who has served as SVP ICCI apprised the High Commissioner-designate about the activities of USPICC and offered full assistance for his cause.
They said: “We will soon visit Canada with a high-powered delegation comprising entrepreneurs involved in infrastructure, information and communications technologies, mining, energy, oil and gas, and the agri-food, textile, cutlery, sports goods, and other export sectors to explore opportunities.”