B2B contacts imperative for enhancing bilateral relations, says Kashif Anwar

LAHORE  -  A 40-member strong UK del­egation visited LCCI on Friday and had B2B meetings with their Pakistani counterparts. Regional Trade & Develop­ment Advisor, British High Commission, Islamabad Fa­bian Hartwell was heading the delegation. LCCI President Ka­shif Anwar warmly welcomed the delegation and presented the address of welcome. Presi­dent Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Nasir Awan, Senior Vice President Zafar Mahmood Chaudhry, former President Shahid Has­san Sheikh and Executive Committee members were also present on the occasion.

Head of UK delegation said that British High Commission wants to introduce UK’s com­mercial buyers to Pakistani market to promote the mutual trade. Fabian Hartwell said that as a trade development advisor, his mandate is to de­velop trade and help Pakistan to grow its export to UK and to other countries. He said that trade is the only tool which can be used to eradicate poverty, create jobs and better the im­age of the country. He said that one of the purposes of our visit to this beautiful country is to find cheap quality products which can be exported to UK. We are very hopeful that this visit will enhance the bilateral trade between Pakistan and UK besides successfully chang­ing the perception of Pakistan.

Fabian Hartwell also pro­vided a few hand books, having the information regarding set­ting up the business and doing business with UK, and request­ed to place these on the LCCI website for the information of members. He said that Special Investment Facilitation Coun­cil is good opportunity and we continue to work to lobby with senior members of SIFC, new government and the private sector. LCCI President Kashif Anwar said that being the pre­mier business support organi­zation of the country, LCCI has always accorded great impor­tance in cementing good work­ing relations with the private sector in United Kingdom. He said that business to business contacts are imperative for en­hancing bilateral relations.

He said that United King­dom has been one of the major trading partners of Pakistan and is currently the third larg­est export market for Pakistani products. The LCCI president mentioned that Pakistan’s exports to UK are dominated heavily by textiles. He said that the bilateral trade volume which currently stands around 2.6 billion dollars should be taken to at least 10 billion dol­lars. In this connection, the del­egates who belong to diverse sectors like textiles, handi­crafts, agri-food and home dé­cor, can play an important role.

Kashif Anwar said that in textiles, Pakistan is renowned for its high-quality fabrics, in­cluding cotton, silk, and wool, as well as its expertise in tex­tile manufacturing and gar­ment production. He said that handicrafts is an area where Pakistan excels, with a rich cultural heritage and skilled artisans producing exquisite handcrafted goods ranging from intricate pottery and ce­ramics to woodwork and met­alwork. He said that in agri-food, Pakistan offers a range of agricultural produce, includ­ing fruits, vegetables, spices, and rice etc., known for their freshness, flavor and quality. Home décor is another prom­ising sector with a wide range of products such as rugs, car­pets and furniture that show­case the country’s rich cultural heritage and craftsmanship. “The honorable delegates must be aware of the fact that even after Brexit, the United Kingdom has given us the same level of market access, as under the GSP plus scheme of the European Union. It is high time that private sectors of both Pakistan and UK take a proactive approach to utilize this arrangement for enhanc­ing trade and economic rela­tions”, LCCI President added.

He said that Pakistan is be­stowed with such a beautiful and diverse landscape. It has numerous cultural heritage sites and ancient sites of sev­eral old civilizations. Pakistan also has tremendous poten­tial for every kind of tourism ranging from religious to rec­reational and adventure tour­ism. He drew the attention of foreign guests towards joint projects to exploit the un­tapped potential of Tourism in our country. Kashif Anwar quoted that IT Freelancers from Pakistan and UK are growing at a healthy rate. IT can be another area where both countries can collabo­rate with each other mutual benefits. We are equally keen to develop strong working re­lations with Greater Birming­ham Global Chamber of Com­merce and Bradford Chamber of Commerce in order to mate­rialize these objectives.