Traders call for removing hurdles to boost regional grade

PESHAWAR: Traders on Saturday stressed the need for taking steps to remove hurdles in order to boost regional trade.

They were speaking at the joint meeting of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry Peshawar and officials of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) at the Chamber House.

The members of the business community also called for boosting trade with the Central Asian Republics to enhance export and earn foreign exchange to stabilize the economy. The traders said that Pakistan was losing huge foreign exchange owing to impediments in the way of regional trade.

SCCI president Hasnain Khan Ahmad presided over the meeting.

SCCI senior vice president Imran Khan Mohmand, vice president Javed Akhtar, former president Faiz Muhammad Faizi, former senior vice president Engr Manzoor Elahi, President of Industrialist Association Peshawar (IAP) Malik Imran Ishaq, executive member Ejaz Khan Afridi and Sohail Javed, Aurangzeb Khan, WCCI’s president Shahida Parveen, TDAP Peshawar Region Director Sabz Ali Khan, Assistant Director Zahid Khan, Director Islamabad Ishaq Shinwari, AD Ayaz Muhammad, Small Industrialist Association president Arif Wahid Awan and others attended the meeting.

The participants in the meeting attributed Pakistan’s widening trade deficit to lack of capturing regional markets.

The speakers expressed the fear that the country could go bankrupt if the regional market were not exploited. They added it had become difficult to do business in the prevailing circumstances.

The participants urged the government to take measures to remove impediments and streamline trade with regional countries and ease difficulties of traders, particularly exporters.

TDAP Director General Naseer Ahmad said the government and his institute were committed to promoting regional trade.

He added the regional trade has been divided in three regions, including Africa Region, Central Asian Region and ASEAN region.

He informed the meeting that TDAP would organise a single country exhibition in the Central Asian Region in October this year. He added a second single country exhibition would be held in December this year.

The TDAP Senior official invited the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa business community to participate in the exhibitions.