On the picture H.E. Moazzam khan, Commercial Counsellor Mr. Zahid Abbasi and the Pakistani Minister of Commerce, Mr. Khurram Dastgir Khan.
By Roy Lie A Tjam.
The launch of the Netherlands Pakistan Business Facilitation Forum took place at the Hilton Hotel in The Hague on 9 December 2015. NPBFF was created in order to maximize the benefits of two major, ongoing economic developments in Asia: the GSP and CPEC.
The Forum seeks to facilitate trade with Dutch companies, and to increase awareness with regards to the trade and investment opportunities in the wake of the GSP Plus and the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor initiative.
The moderator for the evening was Mr. Faraz Zaidi, Counselor at the Embassy of Pakistan. In his welcome remarks, Mr. Zaidi introduced the Honorable Federal Minister for Commerce of Pakistan, Mr. Khurram Dastgir Khan.
For an Hester Dijkstra photo album on the Pakistan Business Forum in The Hague, please cklic here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157661827910189
Mr. Zaidi then provided guests with a brief overview of Mr Khan’s impressive career. He graduated from California Institute of Technology as an engineer and also holds a degree in Economics from Bowdoin College.
The Hon. Federal Minister is affiliated with the ruling party PMLN, and has served as national office-bearer in leadership positions within his party. He also served as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister from 1997 to 1999.
He was elected from his native city of Gujranwala to the National Assembly of Pakistan in 2008 and was re-elected in 2013. During the 2008-13 Parliament, he served with distinction as Chair of the Standing Committee on Commerce and as a member of the Public Accounts Committee.
As a dynamic Parliamentarian, he also served on a number of Special Parliamentary and Standing Committees. In his current role as Federal Minister for Commerce, he has also been assigned by the Prime Minister the additional responsibility of the Parliamentary Business of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the Ministry of Commerce he has revitalized Pakistan’s trade diplomacy. He spearheaded the successful campaign to obtain GSP+ trade preferences for Pakistan from the European Union, and, in spring 2014, he led vital negotiations to obtain reciprocal market access for Pakistan and to enhance trade with neighboring countries. His vigorous diplomacy has led to the commencement of Pakistan’s negotiations for free trade agreements with Turkey and Thailand.
Under his stewardship, the Ministry of Commerce has revamped national trade defence laws, obtained approval for Pakistan’s accession to the TIR convention, and has successfully concluded institutional reforms within the Ministry itself as well as its attached departments. He has steered the drive for a qualitative shift towards value-addition and diversification in Pakistan’s exports.
Following Mr. Zaidi’s remarks, the launching ceremony of the Netherlands Pakistan Business Facilitation Forum commenced. Commercial Counsellor Mr. Zahid Abbasi began with a video presentation of the Forum. Noteworthy in his presentation was the introduction of the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor a fusion of multiple corridors including the Investment Corridor, Trade Corridor, Energy Corridor, Transport Corridor, Infrastructure Corridor, Industrial Corridor. In total, projects worth $46 billion will be executed, and the corridor will stretch for some 2,400km. The project completion date is 2030.
The next speaker was Ambassador of Pakistan to The Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Moazzam Ahmad khan. Relations with the Dutch go back many centuries, he said, and it all started in the coastal province of Sindh. The Ambassador also lauded the role played by Dutch institutions as CBI and PUM in two countries’ bilateral relationship.
To conclude the list of speakers, the honorable Federal Minister was invited to the rostrum for his remarks on this auspicious occasion.
According to the Minister, after only 19 months of GSP+, Pakistan’s economy showed an increase of more than 32%. The Hon. Minister considers GSP+ an incentive for the future rather than a reward for past achievement, and he reiterated the importance of transferring a bilateral friendship into an economic partnership.
As for terrorism, added the Minister, Pakistan is combating it effectively, and terrorist attacks are down. It is clear that Pakistan has reconnected to the world, as evidenced by the number of daily international flights into the country. Investors, tourist and others who had avoided Pakistan when the nation was plagued by terrorist attacks are now returning. Pakistan is a democratic and politically stable country. Peaceful local elections have recently been held, the stability that followed the smooth transition of power after the 2013 general election has endured.
A Dutch company is currently advising the port authorities of Karachi. Wimpel, a Dutch telephone provider is faring well in Pakistan. A very large size of the market is in their hands.
By all accounts, Pakistan is doing well economically, and there is a growing middle class estimated at about 70 million individuals.
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