Karachi, 13 October 2022:

Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi, S. M. Mahbubul Alam had over 20 (twenty) business meetings and interactions with the prominent exporters & importers, industrialists, entrepreneurs, business elites based in Karachi during 01-12 October 2022.  

S. M. Mahbubul Alam, Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Karachi had separate meetings and interactions on different dates and times during 01-12 October 2022 with Sheikh Mansoor Elahi Shamsi, Chairman, Osaka Electric and Industrial Companies, Mr. Muhammad Farhan Ashrafi, Vice-Chairman, Pakistan Yarn Merchants Association (PYMA) and Director, U.T. International, Mr. Junaid ur Rehman, Executive Director, Artistic Towel Mills Ltd, Mr. Adnan Asad, Chief Executive Officer, Venus Group of Companies, Mr. Shahid Hasan, General Manager (Export Marketing), Mustaqim Dying and Printing Ltd, Mr. Sohail Khamisa, Senior Marketing Manager, Mustaqim Dying and Printing Ltd, Mr. Toufique Abro, Proprietor, Star Enterprise, Mr. Izhar Shaukat Kappr, Proprietor, Farhan Trading, Mr. Zafar Iqbal Allawala, Executive Director, Kohinoor Group of Companies, Mr. Khurram Jaffarani, Chief Executive Officer, Adplus Ltd, Mr. Arif Suleman, Chief Executive Officer, Thai Airways in Pakistan, Mr. Ahsan Mehanti, CEO and Managing Director, Arif Habib Commodities Ltd, Professor Dr. Kashif Mehmood, Vice-Chancellor, Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Institute of Technology (KASBIT), Mr. Shamoon Zaki, Director, ZAKI Industrial Corporation, Mr. Hitoshi Yamaguchi, Managing Director, Mr. Yuki Tsukuda, Director (Sales & Marketing), Mr. Kentaro Aoki, Director (Factory), Mr. Tomotsugu Suzuki, Technical Advisor, YKK Pakistan (Private) Ltd, Mr. Naveed Raza, AF Ferguson & Co, Mr. Sadiq Ebrahim, Director, DALCO Building Systems, Mr. S. Khalid Tawab, Chairman, Rabbi Steel Ltd, and Mr. Saqib Goodluck, CEO, Goodluck Group of Companies.

During the meetings and interactions, the Deputy High Commissioner S. M. Mahbubul Alam briefed the leading businesspersons and academic in Karachi on various development initiatives and sectoral achievements and success stories of Bangladesh. He highlighted that Bangladesh has become a ‘Role Model’ of socio-economic development in the world. He also mentioned that Bangladesh is now among the five fastest growing economies in the world, ranking 41st in terms of GDP. The ‘Digital Bangladesh’ initiative has stimulated transformative impacts on socio-economic development in Bangladesh in all areas including education, health, women empowerment, telecommunication, mobile banking, and disaster risk reduction. The Foreign Currency Reserve was only USD3.5 billion in 2006, which was USD48.04 billion in 2021. Bangladesh is the 2^nd in the world in RMG export, 3^rd in rice and vegetable production, 2^nd in sweet water production, and 7^th in potato production in the world. Bangladesh has achieved 100% electricity coverage across the country and has been working for the establishment of 100 Special Economic Zones with foreign investment friendly policies. Bangladesh has constructed the 6.15 km long Padma Bridge at a cost of over USD3.5 billion, which was financed of her own source, which is a symbol of pride and confidence of Bangladesh. He further highlighted during the meetings that Bangladesh has already fulfilled all the criteria for graduation to a developing country from the LDC status and the present government of Bangladesh has been striving hard to turn Bangladesh into upper middle-income country by 2031 and a developed country by 2041.

Deputy High Commissioner S. M. Mahbubul Alam elaborated on the potential of trade and commerce and investment in Bangladesh. Highlighting the exclusive facilities and incentives Bangladesh offers for foreign investment he invited the potential investors, entrepreneurs and businesspersons from Pakistan for enhanced trade and economic cooperation for mutual benefits of the two countries.

The industrialists, investors, entrepreneurs, exporters and importers, academics of Pakistan highly appreciated the impressive socio-economic developments in Bangladesh. They commented that Bangladesh earned a brighter image in the international arena and the impressive success story of Bangladesh is encouraging for them. They expressed their interests for wider trade and commerce and investment in Bangladesh.

S. M. Mahbubul Alam, Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Karachi assured industrialists, investors, entrepreneurs, exporters and importers, and other businesspersons of Pakistan of all possible cooperation for greater trade and commerce and economic relations between the two counties.