US sees plenty of room for growth in bilateral trade

Envoy says most of the assistance is aimed at economic expansion

KARACHI: US Consul General in Karachi Brian Heath has said although the trade volume between the United States and Pakistan stands above $5 billion and Pakistan enjoys a trade surplus, there is plenty of room for growth.

“This is the reason why most of our assistance is focused on increasing the economic growth of Pakistan,” he said while talking to businessmen during a visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Wednesday.



“We (the US) talk about stronger democracy in Pakistan, we talk about stronger security environment and we talk about stronger economy as these three things are very much in the interest of business community and future generations,” Heath was quoted as saying in a KCCI press release.



The envoy was of the view that Pakistan had an important role to play not only for its own population but also for the entire region.

“A stable South Asia is critical to the world’s peace and the world’s economy. We can’t have a stable South Asia without a stable Pakistan,” he added.



He stressed that Pakistan and the US had been enjoying long-lasting relations from the very beginning which were based on mutual trust and shared interest.

“Although these relations have seen many ups and downs, twists and turns, thrills and chills from time to time, but currently the ties have improved and are becoming stronger.”

Businessmen Group Chairman and former KCCI president Siraj Kassam Teli said although many people had been saying that relations between Pakistan and the US had been improving, they were not as good as they should have been.



He asked the consul general to create some kind of liaison or constitute a committee in coordination with the Karachi Chamber to discuss economic issues and the image of Pakistan, particularly Karachi, in order to clarify misconceptions about the security situation in the city.

Another former KCCI president Zubair Motiwala, while acknowledging that the US consulate had been consulting with the KCCI, said the two sides needed to discuss and engage themselves in more dialogue.

He suggested that the US could help create job opportunities by granting zero-rated status to Pakistan’s exports as the existing 18% duty was a serious problem, which if reduced would help in dealing with all the ills.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th,  2015.

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