ISLAMABAD:Former President of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry Iftikhar Ali Malik on Tuesday said Pakistan’s geo-strategic location was ideal in providing opportunity for connecting Central Asian countries via sea routes for better and effective regional economic integration besides boosting Multilateral trade.
Talking to a delegation of industrialists led by Muslim Khan Buneri, he said the Central Asian states were landlocked and Pakistan was located at an ideal location that could provide hassle-free shorter sea access to these countries, a news release said.
He said Pakistan could also comfortably facilitate Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries in providing regional connectivity which would promote trade among member countries and beyond.
Iftikhar Malik said transport corridors and logistics infrastructure could benefit all member states leading to win-win cooperation.
He said the SCO was a multi-dimensional organization in terms of its scope and functioning and Pakistan could reap fruits from it.
He said the SCO comprising 21 members with a mandate of enhancing economic cooperation, if fully geared, could usher in an era of prosperity, progress and development in every sphere of life in the region.
Iftikhar Malik stressed the need for harnessing the potential of SCO under the leadership of China for sustained regional economic growth.
He said Pakistan as a trans-shipment and trade hub for SCO countries could play a key role in further strengthening the organisation.
He said the private sector of Pakistan was always ready to move forward with the SCO’s development agenda aimed at accelerating the economic activities in the region.