TORONTO, Feb 5: A nine-member Canadian trade delegation will visit Pakistan next week to explore possibilities of joint ventures in the field of auto parts manufacturing and the conversion of natural gas (CNG) devices.

It will also identify "new areas of cooperation" to enhance trade between Ottawa and Islamabad, according to Anwar Merchant, President of Canada-Pakistan Business Council (CPBC) here.

Merchant told Dawn on Thursday that the delegation will leave for Pakistan on Feb 13 and visit Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi where it will meet high government officials, leading businessmen and industrialists.

The CPBC president said the delegation will comprise Sinclair Stevens, a former industries minister, Aida Viveros, director of a private-sector organization - Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters; IT experts and some prominent industrialists.

Merchant said it will be Canada's second trade delegation to visit Pakistan in less than six months. Earlier, a high-powered delegation had undertaken a successful tour to Pakistan in October last year.