Pakistan has immense potential to foster two-way trade and lift bilateral relations with New Zealand to a higher level, Pakistan High Commissioner Syed Ibnes Abbas said.
“There are challenges including the current depressing business climate perpetrated by the global financial crisis but we are confident of overcoming them.
“The Pakistan business community should consider exploring opportunities in their home country and help us connect with other businesses in New Zealand,” he said.
Mr Abbas was speaking at a dinner hosted in his honour by the Business Forum of the Pakistan Association of New Zealand at the Grand Chancellor Hotel in Auckland on May 22.
He said his Government had streamlined procedures for grant of visit visas and that incentives were available for foreign investors.
The High Commission website (www.pakistanhc.org.nz) has been revamped to make it up-to-date and more user-friendly, he said.
“As well as speeding up the scrutiny of visa applications, we plan to have ‘Consular Camps’ in Auckland to provide related services. Contrary to media reports, Pakistan is not an unsafe place. Our Pakistani businesspersons should be able to appraise their counterparts and associates of the ‘real situation’ and help us connect with them for mutual benefit,” he said.
Mr Abbas said size of the country and the extent of bilateral trade was not as important as promoting qualitative relationship.
“An increasing number of students from Pakistan are studying in New Zealand universities, adding value to their education. I am confident that we will be able to improve our relations,” he said.
Earlier, Tarnica Cars Limited Nadeem Ashraf paid tributes to the members of the Pakistan business community in New Zealand, saying that their progress was marked by dedication and hard work.
“Almost all of them started on a modest scale and achieved progress over the years by sheer perseverance. There are several opportunities for our businesses to engage in the agricultural sector of Pakistan,” he said.
Members of Parliament Dr Ashraf Choudhary, Su’a William Sio (Labour) and Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi (National) and PANZ President Tauqir Khan were among the other speakers at the function.
According to the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry, New Zealand’s two-way trade with Pakistan was a modest $153.7 million as at the end of December 2009.
Exports, comprising dairy products including milk, cheese and curd, machinery, wood pulp, fats and oils and sheepskins, were valued at $92.75 million.
New Zealand imported bed linen, furnishings, manmade staple fibres, cotton fabric and apparel valued at $60.93 million, creating a favourable balance of payments.
“Agriculture and education are key areas for future growth in the trade and economic relationship. New Zealanders are involved in the development of Pakistan’s dairy industry, and more than 110 Pakistani students are currently studying in New Zealand on Pakistani Government postgraduate scholarships,” a Ministry statement said.
New Zealand provides a small bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme through the Head of Mission Fund. This has included funding for water pumps in remote villages, medical equipment, micro-credit funding and schools.
The country has contributed emergency relief to Pakistan, including $500,000 flood relief assistance to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in July 2007, $2.25million to various agencies following the 2005 earthquake, and $1 million to assist the Pakistan Government provide for more than 2.5 million internally displaced people following fighting in the Swat valley in April-May 2009.
The photograph appearing here shows Pakistan High Commissioner Syed Ibnes Abbas (second from right) with (from left) Mumtaz Fayyaz , Tauqir Khan, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Nadeem Ashraf and Dr Ashraf Choudhary.
