A high-level business delegation from the Kingdom of Bahrain, led by Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry Minister of Commerce Khalid Almoayedon Thursday (31st March 2017) visited Lahore to explore mutual business, trade and investment opportunities. 

The delegation comprises of leading business groups like Al Moayyed, Al Zayani, Al Kanno, Shaikh Muhammad Bin Ishaq, and Seef Property Investment. After concluding a productive visit of Islamabad, the guest business delegates visitedLahore, the hub of business opportunities of Punjab. As the premier investment promotion organization of the province, Punjab Board of Investment & Trade realizes the opportunities which accrue from the visit of foreign delegations. Therefore, PBIT has extended its support and facilitation to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in holding a Business Forum being held at LCCI while meetings of the delegates have also been lined up with the Punjab governor.

Addressing on this occasion President Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Abdulbasithas invited Bahraini investors to explore investment opportunities in diffirent sectors including livestock and agriculture, production, mines and minerals, IT, services and tourism to name a few.

Cooperation between the two countries in economic field will further strengthen the brotherly ties. Pakistani diaspora in Bahrain acts as a human bridge between the two brotherly countries. They have been playing an important role in the development and prosperity of both Pakistan and Bahrain, he added.

The chairman of Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) said he came with a special mandate to expand the scope of economic ties between the two counties. He admitted enormous business opportunities available in Punjab and said the government as well as business community of Bahrain can benefit from the opportunities and prospects offered by China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The delegation also called upon Governor Punjab Muhammad RafiqRajwana in Governor House, Lahore. Governor said that Pakistan was providing lucrative incentives to foreign investors while the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project has started a new era of investment activities in the country. He said that time was ripe for the Bahraini investors to take more interest in Pakistan for investment and joint ventures in areas of interest.

Trade Development Authority of Pakistan Lahore also extending hospitality to the Bahrain Delegation by organising a cultural dinner in the evening. Pakistan enjoys brotherly relations with the Kingdom of Bahrain and in line with the chief minister’s vision for promotion of trade and investment Punjab seeks to enhance its current level of trade and cooperation with Bahrain.

The present volume of bilateral trade between the two countries is $143.10 million (2015-16), which is not depictive of the true potential exists between Pakistan and Bahrain. The visit of the Bahrain’s delegation is therefore a very welcome opportunity for Punjab and it is hoped that the near future will hold many such fruitful exchanges between the two countries.