Malaysia to open Karachi trade office, launch flights by year-end

KARACHI: Malaysia is keen to enhance its trade and investment relations with Pakistan, its consul general said on Friday, announcing plans to open a trade office in Karachi and launch direct flights by the end of the year.

Herman Hardynata Bin Ahmad said the trade office in Karachi would be activated by December and would help improve trade ties with the business community of the port city, which he described as “very important to Malaysia”.

He also said a Malaysian airline would start direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Karachi, which would boost tourism opportunities in both cities.

“We are trying our best to timely complete all the formalities for direct flights between Karachi and Kuala Lumpur this year which, besides promoting trade ties, would also open up tourism opportunities available in Kuala Lumpur and Karachi which is a very lively city where lots of happenings are regularly taking place,” consul general said .

Bin Ahmad was speaking at a meeting during his visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), where he requested the chamber to arrange business-to-business meetings with an 18-member Malaysian trade delegation arriving next week.

The delegation comprises businessmen from food, agriculture, cosmetics, textiles and other sectors, who are looking to explore possibilities of enhancing trade ties with their counterparts in Karachi.

Bin Ahmad also urged Pakistani exporters of dry fruits to participate in the meetings, saying they could strike deals with Malaysian buyers.

He said the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Malaysia and Pakistan was being refreshed by adding more tradable items in the lists, which would help deal with the stagnant trade volume between the two brotherly countries.

The envoy expressed Malaysia’s willingness to import more goods from Karachi, saying there was a good market for them in Malaysia but they needed to be effectively exposed.

He also advised KCCI to share details and invitation about the next My Karachi Exhibition at the earliest possible time so that the Malaysian Consulate could ensure Malaysia’s maximum participation in the event.

Responding to a query about visa-free access to Malaysia, he said it was a reciprocal arrangement between countries and could be arranged if both sides agreed. He added that visa applications for visiting Malaysia were processed within 48 hours or earlier in case of emergency.

KCCI President Mohammed Tariq Yousuf stressed the need to removetrade barriers that have been hindering smooth trade between the two countries.

He was of the view that despite excellent brotherly relationships, the bilateral trade volume was far below its full potential as Pakistan’s exports to Malaysia were just around $300 million which need to be raised to a reasonable level.

Yousuf pointed out that Pakistan’s trade volume with the ASEAN bloc was around $9 billion which includes around $1 billion in exports and $8 billion in imports in 2022-23, of which 84 percent of Pakistan’s trade was with four ASEAN countries namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.

“Pakistan and ASEAN countries could further deepen cooperation in various areas such as transport, energy, communications, information technology and agricultural research.”