Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) said that the importance of Gilgit-Baltistan has increased due to CPEC as this mega development project will usher in a new era of development and prosperity in the province. However, he said that the province should consider providing more attractive incentives to investors, especially in the tourism sector, so that high-quality hotels, roads and other infrastructures in the area can be developed on modern lines that will atrract tourists from all over the world to the region. He said this while talking to SSP Zahoor Ahmed, Chief of Staff to Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan during his visit to ICCI.

Ahsan Bakhtawari said that ICCI had recently organized a successful Tourism Summit in Skardu with the aim of highlighting the tourism potential of the region for the business community and foreign diplomats and assured that ICCI would cooperate with the GB government in promoting investment in tourism and other sectors in the province. He said that by introducing minerals, dry fruits and other products of GB in the international market, Pakistan's exports can be increased substantially. He said that ICCI will consider taking a delegation to Gilgit-Baltistan to meet with the Chief Minister and other high officials of GB and see first-hand the business and investment opportunities in the province.

Speaking on the occasion, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister’s Chief of Staff SSP Zahoor Ahmed briefed the business community about business and investment opportunities in the province. He said that Gilgit-Baltistan has a great potential to generate 40,000 megawatts of hydropower. Apart from this, the province also has attractive business and investment opportunities in tourism, minerals, agriculture and dry fruit sectors, so ICCI members should try to take full advantage of such opportunities. He said that modern technology and capital are needed to explore minerals and precious stones in Gilgit-Baltistan, so the private sector should bring technology and capital, while the provincial government will give them all possible support in this regard. He said that ICCI should bring a delegation to Gilgit-Baltistan to explore the business and investment possibilities in the province. He assured that he will help the delegation to meet with the Chief Minister and other high officials. He congratulated Ahsan Bakhtavari and his team for organizing a successful tourism summit in Skardu and said that this effort of ICCI would further promote tourism in the region.

Former President ICCI and Secretary General UBG Zafar Bakhtawari, Khalid Chaudhry, Zulqarnain Abbasi, Babar Chaudhry, Zarif Khan, Nasir Chaudhry and others were also present on the occasion.