President of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Muhammad Ishaq has laid stress on the enhancement of trade ties between Pakistan and Iran to improve the performance of their respective economies. He made these remarks during a meeting with the Commercial Attaché of Iranian Consulate in Karachi Hossein Amini and the Acting Consul General of Iran in Peshawar Hossein Mailki.

Senior Vice President SCCI Shahid Hussain and Vice President Ejaz Khan Afridi were also present at the occasion.Various ideas for the promotion of Pak-Iran bilateral trade were discussed during the meeting, including joint exhibitions, business-to-business meetings, and exchange of trade delegations. Members of the meeting emphasized the need to share ideas and experiences to promote the growth of industry in the two countries.

Ishaq said that his chambers will devise a plan to chart a framework for the development of business relations between the two neighbourly countries, adding that it is very important for the governments of both countries to come to the rescue of declining mutual trade.He continued, “SCCI will do everything in its power to boost trade with Iran. We will exchange business delegations, and hold joint exhibitions to showcase the products of our industry.

However, our efforts will yield only limited results if governments of the two countries do not take practical steps to improve trade relations.” SCCI Senior Vice-President for his part said that both countries held vast potential to increase mutual trade. He said the two countries need to collaborate in all areas from sharing technology to the identification of business opportunities with comparative advantage.

He added that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa industrialists could start importing raw material from Iran as soon as possible but they were hindered in their efforts because of global sanctions. He called for the resolution of all outstanding issues related to trade between the two countries and stressed the need to ease the process of clearance at the border checkpoints with increased security.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk