ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Afghanistan Industries, Mines and Investment High Council, led by its Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Shabir Bashiry, visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and held a meeting with the local business community to discuss possibilities of establishing joint ventures in the mining sector in Afghanistan.
Embassy of Afghanistan Commercial Attaché Samina Wadeer and representatives of Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry were also present on the occasion.
In his address, Afghanistan Industries, Mines and Investment High Council CEO Mohammad Shabir Bashiry said that private sector of Afghanistan was interested to engage Pakistani counterparts in the mining sector, which has a great potential for growth. He urged the Pakistani investors should set up JVs in order to promote mechanised mining in the country.
Bashiry said that Afghanistan was still an untapped market for Pakistani entrepreneurs and they should take full advantage of emerging business opportunities in Afghanistan.
Embassy of Afghanistan Commercial Attaché Samina Wadeer said Pakistani private sector could get easy access to Central Asian markets by investing in Afghanistan. She said Afghanistan was an open market and investors of many countries were taking keen interest in it. However, she added, Afghanistan wanted to give priority to Pakistani investors for JVs and investment in mining and other sectors.
Addressing the delegation, ICCI President Ahmed Hassan Moughal said that peace in Afghanistan was the basic requirement to promote business and investment activities. He urged that Pakistan and Afghanistan should work closely to restore peace, which would automatically boost the business activities.
He said that there existed a lot of informal trade between the two countries that should be channelized through formal channels so that economies of both countries could benefit.
