Pakistan offers huge market for Sri Lankan products
While China has invested US$50 billion in Pakistan, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a strategic vision, will be beneficial for the whole region. With a growth rate of 7 per cent expected for the next two years Pakistan would be an ideal market for Sri Lankan products and services.
This was the assurance given by Maj. Gen. (R) Syed Shakeel Hussein, High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka, when he addressed the inauguration of the 2nd Pakistan Single Country Exhibition, last week at the BMICH.
He invited the Sri Lankan Government to explore Pakistan for markets for Sri Lankan goods and services as there are ample opportunity in Pakistan with a massive population of 200 million people.
Pakistan has placed great importance on the trade relations between the two country – Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Mr. Hussein pointed and indicated that great importance was displayed where M.S. Muneer, Chairman, Pakistan Trade Development Authority visited Sri Lanka four times to make the exhibition a great success. He said this event would become an annual feature to work as a catalyst for a deeper economic relationship between the two countries.
He said the essence of this mission is to exclusively concentrate on Sri Lankan business and markets and for the Sri Lankan business community to invest with the visiting Pakistan business entities and for that he assured the initiation of an elaborate system to facilitate helpful and fruitful assistance for the business communities of both the countries.
Mr. Muneer in his address said that Pakistan is one of the rapidly emerging economies of the world with a friendly business environment created by the current government through policies aimed at achieving micro-economic stability in the country.
He said the Pakistan Stock Exchange has been ranked 5th best performing stock market in the world in 2016 and in that year the country’s GDP grew by  4.7 per cent which is the highest in the last few years.