Dhaka offers Pakistani businessmen multiple visas

Bangladesh has offered visas to Pakistani businessmen and has invited delegations to explore trade opportunities.

KARACHI: Bangladesh has offered multiple visas to Pakistani businessmen and has invited delegations from the country to explore different trade opportunities in Bangladesh, especially in the energy and textile sector.

Deputy High Commissioner of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Ruhul Alam Siddique said: “The present trade volume between Pakistan and Bangladesh is just $340 million which is negligible when you take in to account the combined population of over 300 million”.

He was speaking to businessmen in Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Monday. He said his office is ready to provide a 24-hour visa service to Pakistani businessmen.

Talking about prospects of investing in the energy sector, he said Pakistan and Bangladesh are suffering from energy crisis and both countries can help each other in this sector. Many big or small energy companies have attracted to the energy sector of Bangladesh which offers opportunities of billions of dollars and Pakistani companies can benefit by investing in energy sector, he said.

A large number of Pakistani trainers come to Bangladesh especially from textile sector that can also help in bridging the trade gap between two countries, he said.

He said Bangladesh has offered $2 million for the flood victims of Pakistan.

Both Pakistani and Bangladesh can help each other to learn in textiles, ceramics, leather, banking, and agro based industries for which Bangladeshi government is ready to provide all possible assistance, he added.

Abdul Majeed Haji Muhammad, President, KCCI said businessmen have been conducting trade with Bangladesh from long before 1971, when Bangladesh was a part of Pakistan. He added that KCCI members are keen to visit Bangladesh to explore its booming industry, where many Pakistani businessmen have already invested and are exporting their products to now.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2010.