Fakhrul seeks closer Dhaka-Islamabad trade ties
President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday called for stronger cooperation between Bangladesh and Pakistan in trade, investment, air connectivity, education, training and other areas of mutual interest.
He made the call when Pakistan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban.
During the meeting, the high commissioner conveyed an invitation from Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari for Mirza Fakhrul to visit Pakistan. The president thanked him for the invitation and invited his Pakistani counterpart to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time.
Describing Pakistan as an important partner for Bangladesh in various sectors, Mirza Fakhrul said expanding bilateral trade and economic activities would benefit people in both countries.
He stressed the need for greater contact between businesses and entrepreneurs and urged both sides to explore new trade opportunities.
The president said Pakistani ready-made garments, particularly women’s clothing, were popular in Bangladesh. He called for exploring opportunities to import Pakistani garments, cotton yarn and other products while working towards a more balanced trade relationship. Imran Haider said a trade fair featuring Pakistani products would be held in Dhaka in October. He also invited Bangladesh to organise a similar fair in Pakistan featuring Bangladeshi products.
The high commissioner said Pakistani entrepreneurs were interested in joint ventures to manufacture footballs and other sports equipment.
Referring to the resumption of direct air connectivity between Dhaka and Karachi this year, Imran Haider said the service was helping boost bilateral trade, medical tourism and people-to-people contacts.He stressed the need to increase the number of flights between the two countries. The high commissioner also praised the quality of Bangladeshi tea and called for increasing tea exports to Pakistan by taking advantage of the existing duty-free facility in the Pakistani market.
