The Pakistani consulate wants to enhance business relations with Saudi businessmen and further develop trade between the two countries, said Sarfraz Ahmed, commercial consul at the Pakistan consulate here. “We recently paid a courtesy call to Dr. Hani Abu Rass, the new secretary general of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), and discussed a number of issues pertaining to economics, investment and trade as well as ways to enhance the business relationship between the two countries,” Ahmed said. “We also requested the reactivation of the Pakistan-Saudi Business Council and the holding of business forums in coming months,” he added . Ahmed also told Saudi Gazette that Consul General Abdul Salik Khan requested the JCCI secretary general to help Pakistani businessmen in developing and enhancing Pakistan-Saudi business relations and invited a delegation of Saudi businessmen involved in agriculture to visit Pakistan. “After Ramadan, we are planning for a delegation from the Pakistan chamber of commerce to visit Saudi Arabia to take a new and different approach to business and investment for the development and enhancement of the relationship between our countries. The delegation will represent all sectors of business in Pakistan,” Ahmed explained. According to a JCCI report, there are currently 24 companies working in Pak-Saudi joint ventures of which 11 are industrial and 13 non-industrial. The total amount invested in these companies is SR3.33 billion of which 70.9 percent is provided by Saudi businessmen, 8.19 percent by Pakistani businessmen with the remaining 20.91 percent invested by other partners.
