Source: Daily Times

LONDON: The outgoing Pakistan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Maleeha Lodhi has said trade relations between the two countries were strong and strengthening day by day.

Britain and Pakistan have always enjoyed good trade relations and UK is currently its third largest trading partner, she said at a farewell reception hosted in her honour by the Pakistan-Britain Trade and Investment Forum at Asia House Tuesday evening.

She said UK enjoys 8.7 per cent share of the Pakistani market in terms of manufacturing goods exported to her country and Britain is also listed as the fourth largest investor.

Dr Lodhi reiterated that Pakistan, despite the challenges it was facing, remains ideal country for investment opportunities. She noted that presently 80 UK companies were doing business in Pakistan and Britain was her country’s largest trading partner within the European Union.

She said the government is seeking to increase investment in infrastructure and with a population of 160 million consumers, it offers ideal market for the overseas entrepreneurs.

However, Dr Lodhi said like the rest of the world, Pakistan was confronted with issues relating to finance, food and the rising cost of fuel which is impacting the national economy while enumerating both the challenges Pakistan faced as well as the opportunities it was leveraging to effect what she called a strategic turnaround.

Pakistan’s envoy said that sustaining poverty reduction and economic growth over the long run will be tough but it can be done.

Dr Lodhi said Pakistan’s greatest economic challenge is to distribute the gains of high growth equitably to people and deprived regions through poverty alleviation, employment generation and development of human capital.

She complimented the role played by BPTIF in strengthening trade and commercial ties between the two countries and said its part had been crucial. However, she urged the forum to engage more closely with the UK-based Pakistan business community especially the small and medium enterprises. She also stressed on attracting the third generation British-Pakistanis who have excelled in the field of IT and financial services and said there exists extraordinary talent of such persons.

The outgoing envoy praised the role of the Asia House in projecting Pakistan and mentioned a number of events organised at the centre spotlighting the South Asian country.

 E-mail this article to a friend

Tags: economy, Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan High Commissioner, Trade, UK