Daily Times

LAHORE: South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SAARC CCI) delegation, currently on a three-day visit to Afghanistan, is holding fruitful meetings with businessmen, industrialists and top government functionaries that would definitely put a positive impact on the overall intra-SAARC region trade.

The delegation leader, SAARC CCI Vice President Iftikhar Ali Malik, disclosed this on Wednesday. He said that the SAARC Chamber’s delegation is focusing on enhancing trade among all the SAARC countries- Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, and Afghanistan. The matters pertaining to free trade in the SAARC region were also discussed threadbare.

Iftikhar Ali Malik, who is also the Chairman of United Business Group (UBG), said that they had discussed ways and means to increase import and export in SAARC region, adding that the SAARC Chamber had assured Afghanistan of its full support and facilitation to improve businesses and economy in the brotherly Muslim country.

To a question, Malik said that nine-storey SAARC Chamber’s Secretariat is being constructed speedily in Islamabad and was at completion stage. He mentioned that they had decided in principle to allocate one floor to each member state of the SAARC, enabling them to establish their respective offices for working out modalities with regard to promotion of trade and investment in the region.

To another question, Malik elaborated that on the first day of its three-day visit, the delegation held detailed meeting with the think tank of Kabul, while the SAARC CCI (Afghanistan) vice president hosted dinner in their honour.

On the second day, he said the SAARC Chamber’s delegation met with Executive Committee and GA members of SAARC CCI (Afghanistan chapter) and business angels, besides ensuring their active participation in a seminar on ‘Trade and Investment in South Asia: New Opportunities for Afghanistan.’

The delegation also called on Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan National Unity Government chief executive, Afghanistan Foreign Affairs deputy minister and also held meeting with Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The delegation would depart back to Pakistan tomorrow (Thursday), he added.

Trade Development Authority Pakistan (TDAP) chief S M Muneer, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Vice President Zafar Bakhtawari, FPCCI Zonal Chairman S M Naseer, UBG General Secretary Zubair Tufail, SAARC Chamber Deputy General Secretary Zulfiqar Butt and Executive Committee member Pervez Lala were prominent members of the delegation.