Bilateral ties: Nepal seeks investment opportunities in Pakistan

Country’s ambassador invites business personnel in areas of trade, tourism

PESHAWAR: Ambassador of Nepal to Pakistan Sewa Lamsal Adhikari invited Pakistani business personnel to explore investment opportunities in her country.

Speaking during a meeting with traders of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday, she said that both nations have tremendous potential in the areas of trade, tourism, investment and cultural promotion. “Pakistani people are vibrant and innovative in business enterprises with an established tradition, proven skills, innovation and craftsmanship in the region,” she said.



Adhikari invited the Pakistani business community, especially those based in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa [K-P], to visit Nepal and explore the vast investment opportunities in diversified fields. “Nepal has a friendly visa policy for tourists and business personnel and Pakistanis can easily get tourist visa upon arrival,” she said. “Trade is an important aspect of bilateral relations in today’s interdependent world and it is an integral part of sustainable development.”

Comparative advantage

The ambassador said that Nepal was well-known for its organic tea, coffee, pashmina products, woollen carpets, handicrafts, jewellery, optical lenses, paper products and mechanical herbs, among other things.

Meanwhile, she added that Pakistan was famous for products like leathers, textiles, machinery, medicines, footwear and dried fruits. She emphasised that leather and textile products were very popular in Nepal and both the countries could take advantage of each other’s potential by increasing volume of their exports.



Foreign investment potential

The diplomat said her country is offering special incentives and tax exemption packages to foreign investors and Pakistani companies reap full benefits from the policy. “At present, hydropower is one of the most attractive and commercially rewarding sectors for investment in Nepal. The availability of abundant snow-fed water resources place the country in a unique position in generating commercially lucrative hydropower,” she said.

“Additionally, the agriculture and herbal procession industries could be other areas of interest where the Pakistan companies can invest their knowledge and expertise and technology,” she added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2017.

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