FAISALABAD:Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) President Dr. Khurram Tariq has expressed satisfaction over the enhancement of bilateral trade volume between Pakistan and Iran to over two billion dollars.
In a statement issued here, he said, “Still there is room to further jack up the trade but initially we must set targets of five billion dollars and make arrangements to achieve it as early as possible before further enhancing it to ten billion dollars.” He said, “Currently three border points are operational for bilateral trade and we must explore new points to facilitate the business community on the two sides of the borders.” He said that due to US sanctions Pakistan could not undertake formal trade but there is vast opportunity for barter trade with Iran being one of the well-developed neighbouring countries of Pakistan.
He said that as Pakistan is currently facing a severe economic crisis and hence it should convince the US to allow Pakistan to purchase oil and gas from Iran to meet its immediate needs. He said that measures should also be taken to further strengthen rail links to enhance trade volume between the two countries.
Dr. Khurram Tariq said that the government must re-prioritize its strategy and resolve issues faced by the textile sector as early as possible. He said that one of the major issues is provision of electricity at Regionally Competitive Energy Tariff (RCET).