SIALKOT: Local exporters should divert their business activities to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for getting trade and export-related advantages available there under the investment-friendly atmosphere in the prosperous Gulf state.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Abu Dhabi-UAE Asif Ali Khan Durrani said this while addressing exporters at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here on Monday.

He said local exporters had great potential to explore and capture international trade markets of the Abu Dhabi-UAE for the best quality export items, including sports goods, surgical instruments, leather and leather products, musical instruments, gloves, hosiery and martial arts uniforms etc.

Mr Durrani also sought suggestions from the exporters to improve bilateral trade ties between the two countries, besides establishing strong business-to-business contacts between the businessmen of Pakistan and the UAE.

He stressed the need for promoting contacts between SCCI and Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry for facilitating the businessmen of both countries.

Ambassador for better publicity of local products in Gulf region

He said there was also a dire need of establishing an international standard display centre for Sialkot-made export products in Abu Dhabi-UAE, pledging his cooperation in this regard.

The ambassador said Ministry of Commerce and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) were evolving effective trade and exports enhancement policies to increase bilateral trade between the two countries.

He added that the Pakistani exports to the UAE could be enhanced through effective publicity of local export items in the Gulf country. He said annual imports of the UAE were $100 billion and Pakistan had only three per cent share in it, while Indian exporters had 80 percent share in the total exports to the UAE.

In his welcome address, SCCI acting president Mir Alamgir Meyer said promotion of trade depended on better coordination, interaction and understanding among business communities of the two countries, which Pakistani embassy in Abu Dhabi-UAE and SCCI could conveniently do through mutual cooperation.

Mr Meyer said there was a huge scope for joint ventures and business cooperation between the UAE and local companies, urging the UAE business community to buy directly from Sialkot.

He highlighted the importance of business centres and warehouses set up by China and India in the UAE which created immense trading opportunities for the business communities of the two countries. He believed that Pakistan too needed to follow the model and set up such centres there.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2015

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