The Government of Pakistan has promised to accelerate export diversification and more trade inclusion to achieve the country’s trade relations in a short term.
Mr Malik Ghulam, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Commerce said this at the opening ceremony and the cutting of the ribbon at the 2nd Edition of the Engineering and Healthcare Show (EHCS) on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports from Lahore, Punjab that the event was scheduled to hold from Feb. 23 to Feb. 25, and it was organised by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and the Ministry of Commerce of Pakistan.
Ghulam said that the exhibition was an important initiative to bring together businessmen from non-traditional markets like Africa, Asia and Central Asian Regions under one roof to explore and open up new frontiers for enhancing trade.
He added that focus of international trade was shifting towards diversification, adding that, Pakistan was following the global trade scenario and diversifying its global trade in terms of products and markets.
“Our vision is to double the trade of Pakistan in the next few years. Together we need to exchange more manufactured and engineering goods, have more knowledge transfer and create more value.
“We need to accelerate export diversification and product sophistication and make our trade more inclusive.
“This will enable us to shift from an over dependence on commodities to higher value-added products and services.
“It will also build resilience to movements in demand and help in fetching better prices, furthermore, this is the fastest path to economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction,’’ he said.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Mr Muhammad Motiwala, Chief Executive of TDAP said it was a great moment for Pakistan with over 180 companies at the second exhibition in Lahore.
He added that the initiative of the government of Pakistan to open its doors to global business would also give participants the opportunity to know the people of the country and change their negative perception.
“We are open to the world for both business and friendship, and also with this great initiative, I think the sky is the limit to the great potentials this expo will bring to us all,’’ Motiwala said.