Indonesian ambassador meets Ch. Pervez Elahi in Lahore; both sides discuss further strengthening of bilateral cooperation
Staff Report
LAHORE – Ambassador of Indonesia Adam Mulawarman Tugio along with delegation called on Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Parvez Elahi at his residence here.
Issues of mutual interest, including political situation in the country and measures to prevent corona were discussed during the meeting.
The delegation included Ahmad Firman Sejati, Syarif Shahabuddin and Mr. Maludi. Speaker Ch Parvez Elahi said that keeping in view the growing demand of Punjab industry, he, as the chief minister, had set up industrial estates in Faisalabad under the name of Garments City and Fiedmc while Sundar Industrial Estate was set up in Lahore which provided business facilities to industrialists.
He told the Indonesian ambassador that investors from his country were welcome to invest here as the government will provide all sorts of cooperation. Parvez Elahi also said that Overseas Pakistanis were playing an important role in development of Indonesia. “
The two countries are bound in the line of Islamic brotherhood, but there is a need to increase the public relations campaign between the two countries,” he said. Parvez Elahi said that he was grateful to the Indonesian government for taking care of the overseas Pakistanis during the Corona epidemic, adding that friendly relations between the two countries had always been strong and growing stronger day by day.
He said that timely steps were being taken to control the corona epidemic in Pakistan which was why the situation in Pakistan was slightly better than other countries.
Thanking Ch Parvez Elahi, the Indonesian ambassador said, “A lot of work was done in Punjab during your tenure which is commendable.” He said: “Pakistan has always expressed its love for Indonesia and the people of Pakistan also love our country which is why trade and other issues between the two countries are improving”.
Meanwhile Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) and Indonesian Embassy in Pakistan agreed to establish a Joint Working Group to enhance the economic and trade ties between Pakistan and Indonesia.
It was decided in a meeting between Ambassador of Indonesia, Adam Mulawarman Tugio who along with a trade delegation visited Punjab Board of Investment and Trade. A broad-based discussion was held with the senior officials of PBIT on enhancement of bilateral trade and investment opportunities in Punjab.
PBIT CEO Dr Erfa Iqbal briefed the delegation on various sectors and availability of numerous potential opportunities for investors in Punjab. She pointed out that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) were being set up in all the provinces and regions of Pakistan. The immense potential for collaboration existed in the areas of food and agriculture business, tourism, food processing, automobile, textile, IT and construction sectors.
The Ambassador thanked PBIT team for welcoming them and highlighting the prospective opportunities present in Punjab. The delegation showed keen interest in Halal food, tourism, value addition of food items and automobiles. They focused on creating linkages between the investors from both sides for further collaboration, considering it a concrete step towards building a trade relation between Pakistan and Indonesia to promote economic cooperation that are looking to explore the international markets.
