Conference on Doing Business with Pakistan Held at Federal Reserves’ Houston

2012-PCC-USA At Federal Reserves Honorable Consul General Muhammad Aqil Nadeem

Houston, Texas (Press Release PCC-UA): A Conference on “Doing Business with Pakistan” was held at the Federal Reserve, in downtown Houston on July 12th, 2012. The conference was organized by Pakistan Chamber of Commerce, USA with active support of the Consulate General of Pakistan, Houston. The objective was to motivate the Texas business community about potential, benefits and opportunities of business with Pakistan.

Michelle Trevino, of Federal Reserve Bank welcomed the guests and explained the role of Federal Reserve Bank. Dr. Ashraf Abbasi, founder, Pakistan Chamber of Commerce USA welcomed the audience and explained the importance of US-Pakistan business ties.

Mr. Waseem Rahim, President of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce USA briefed the role of the Chamber, its contributions and provided an overview of the objectives of the conference and explained the economic potential of Pakistan as an energy corridor as well as manufacturing and trade hub for Middle East, Central and South Asia.

The key note speakers were Mr. Muhammad Aqil Nadeem, the Consul General of Pakistan and Mr. Ed Emmett, the Harris County Judge. The Consul General presented the inherent strengths of Pakistan supported with economic indicators and relevant statistical data. He emphasized on the imperative need of trade and industry as an important hub of that region. He identified energy, infrastructure, education, healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, information technology, communications, transportation and export sectors as the potential areas from which the Houston, Texas and US companies can be get lucrative business options.

The Harris County Judge presented an optimistic outlook of Pakistan on economic front. He was of the view that once Afghan conflict is over soon, Pakistan is bound to progress at a much faster pace. Therefore, he emphasized the need of exploring business options in Pakistan right now so that both countries can progress together at a much faster pace in near future. He said that it was very natural that world’s third and sixth largest countries should have grater trade and investment interests with each other.

Mr. Fawad Ali Shah, Commercial Attaché, Consulate General of Pakistan, made a detailed presentation on the forthcoming Expo Pakistan, the biggest trade fair of Pakistan to be held from 4-7 October 2012 at Karachi, Pakistan.  The other guest speakers Mr. John Johnson EXIM Bank, Dr. Cynthia Kalina-Kaminsky Overseas Private Investment Corporation and Mr. Alan Richel US Department of Commerce explained the policies of their respective organizations and expressed their willingness to support trade and investment projects in relation to USA and Pakistan. The representatives of Mayor’s Office, Greater Houston Partnership, International Trade Centre, US Minority Business Enterprise Council and US Small Business Development Administration also appreciated the significance of doing business with Pakistan and renewed their continuous support for the trade and commerce initiatives taken by the Pakistan Chamber of Commerce USA and the Consulate General of Pakistan.

Prominent business leaders having diverse interests in trade and investment with Pakistan interacted with the panel of speakers to inquire about their product specific requirements. Businessmen from other cities, including Chicago, Dallas and Austin, were also present to find opportunities of business with Pakistan. The participants showed a strong commitment in expanding their business linkages with Pakistan. The Consulate General of Pakistan in Houston and President of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce both gave an assurance that in future more commercial activities will be arranged for creating awareness about the potential business opportunities and facilitating business to business interaction. The businessmen also showed keen interest to participate in the Expo Pakistan being held from 4-7 October at Karachi, Pakistan and started registration for the event at Commercial Section of the Consulate General of Pakistan, Houston.

PCC-USA is located at International Trade Center, 11110 Bellaire Blvd., Suite 202, Houston, TX 77072, USA; www.PakistanChamberUSA.com; E-Mail: Info@PakistanChamberUSA.com

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