KARACHI: Musharraf’s visit to Japan will boost trade ties: envoy
KARACHI, March 2: The ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, Sadaaki Numata, has said President Pervez Musharraf’s forthcoming visit to Japan will help further strengthen the friendly ties between the two countries and spur the trade and investment activities.
He was speaking at the farewell dinner of the consul-general of Japan in Karachi, Kazumi Dekiba, here on Friday. The occasion was also marked as the first anniversary of the establishment of the Pakistan-Japan Business Forum (PJBF).
Sadaaki Numata said he hoped the PJBF would play a pivotal role in expanding the trade and business activities between Pakistan and Japan.
“We are moving in the right direction for enhancing the business relations between the two countries,” he said.
The Japanese envoy said the business revival was the key factor and that the business community of Pakistan had an important role to play in this very direction.
He said President Pervez Musharraf would shortly be visiting Japan and this would help further solidify the ties between the two countries.
Sadaaki Numata said this year also marked the golden jubilee of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Japan and that maximum advantage should be taken of this to bring the people of the two countries closer.
Federal Minister for Law and Justice Shahida Jamil, in her brief remarks on the occasion, congratulated the office-bearers of the PJBF on the first anniversary of the organization.
She said the PJBF had put forward certain projects that would help generate income for the people from the lower and middle income groups and would benefit the common man.
The Sindh minister for finance, planning and development, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, read out the message of Sindh Governor Mohammadmian Soomro, who is in Saudi Arabia for the performance of Haj.
In his message, Mr Soomro spoke about the pivotal role of the PJBF and said he hoped it would help in bringing more investment to Pakistan.
In his speech, Dr Hafeez Shaikh said Pakistan presented tremendous business opportunities and in this respect it was second to none.
He also spoke of the potential existing in the country in this connection.
“This is a historic moment and the activities of the Pakistan- Japan Business Forum are timely,” he remarked.
Dr Hafeez Shaikh was of the view that there was the need to realize the potentials Pakistan offered.
He also made it clear that economic recovery was the way to move ahead.
The president of the PJBF, Aziz Memon, said the PJBF had been working hard for the realization of its aims.
He said the PJBF had obtained 100 scholarships from the government of Japan and the first two batches of 25 each had already visited Japan to get training in information technology.
He said the PJBF would take a delegation to Japan on March 12 to attend the second round of business dialogue with its counterparts.
In his speech, the outgoing consul-general said it was a well-established fact that Pakistan and Japan had been maintaining cordial and friendly relations for the past five decades and the two countries always supported each other on all international and regional matters.
Mr Dekiba said in the current year “we are celebrating the golden jubilee anniversary of our diplomatic relations with Pakistan”, which were established in 1952. —APP
