Pak-Maldives trade relations must be further strengthen – Tauseef Zaman

  • July 25, 2011
Pakistan and Maldives enjoy close friendly relations. Maldives economy is regarded exemplary in the region as it has shown growth at an average of over 10 percent during the past two decades, which should be a source of encouragement for investors.

This was stated by Muhammad Tauseef Zaman, Vice President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) in a statement. He said that Maldives Independence Day has a lot of significance, as on this day that it got freedom from Britain.

ICCI Vice President said that Pakistan and Maldives have deep rooted history and both Muslim nations share common culture and traditions. There was also commonality of views and perceptions on all regional and global issues, he opinioned.

He said that tourism is the main industry of Maldives’s economy as about 700,000 visitors annually visit islands of this country and added that both countries could reap benefits by increasing bilateral cooperation in this area. He further said that 100 percent of population of Maldives is Muslims which provides an additional advantage to strengthen bilateral trade and economic relations between Pakistan and Maldives.

ICCI Vice President said that bilateral trade between Pakistan and Maldives was not up to the potential and added that the only way to improve two-way trade is encouraging frequent exchange of trade delegations. He said Pakistan has the potential to meet all import needs of Maldives at very competitive prices because Pakistani products are cheaper than European and other countries. He said that Maldives imports from Pakistan were $6 million that could be further enhanced by increasing bilateral trade and exploring different trade areas.

He said that Pakistan provides quality education at very low cost than Western & European countries and desired that Maldivian students should come to Pakistan for higher studies, which will bring both countries further closer in different spheres of life.

Muhammad Tauseef Zaman was of the view that Muslim Ummah must be united to overcome the challenges of world powers. There were centuries-old civilization, historical and cultural relations between Pakistan and Maldives, both countries should enhance further cooperation in trade and other sectors, he added.