ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has reaffirmed its commitment to expand trade, investment, and people-to-people links with Southeast Asia.
Federal Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan hosted Ambassadors of 07 ASEAN member states at the Ministry of Commerce in Islamabad on Tuesday, where he reiterated Pakistan’s desire to deepen engagement with the region. The meeting was attended by the ambassadors and senior diplomats of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam and Myanmar, underscoring the breadth of ASEAN representation in Islamabad.
Welcoming the ambassadors, Jam Kamal Khan said Pakistan seeks not only to increase bilateral trade but also to build comprehensive, long-term partnerships in technology, skills, and infrastructure. “All ASEAN countries already enjoy cordial relations with Pakistan, but there is immense potential to go further. Through technology transfer, value addition in agriculture, and a skilled human resource base, we can take our trade from the current level to its true potential,” the minister observed. He briefed the ambassadors on Pakistan’s new trade policy, the vehicle import policy, tariff rationalisation measures spearheaded by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and progress toward a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the GCC. He stressed that Pakistan is a gateway to Central Asia, with its ports gaining importance under new transit trade agreements that cut costs for regional partners. He also urged ASEAN companies to invest in Pakistan’s Special Economic Zones under CPEC, citing improved macroeconomic stability — inflation now in single digits — and a business climate geared toward foreign investment. “Pakistan welcomes you to export to Pakistan, add value here, and then re-export your products,” he said, calling for stronger multilateral trade links.
He also shared the formation of a Trade Dispute Resolution Commission, a first in Pakistan’s history, to help international companies resolve disputes swiftly. The ASEAN envoys welcomed Pakistan’s outreach and said the region sees “great potential” in expanding commercial cooperation. The Malaysian ambassador offered Pakistani firms a role in Malaysia’s growing chip-making industry, while other envoys highlighted existing ASEAN investments in Pakistan’s construction and power generation sectors. All ambassadors expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s hospitality and agreed on the need to accelerate bilateral trade and investment flows, including through religious tourism, skills exchanges, and supply-chain partnerships. ASEAN, founded in 1967, now represents one of the world’s fastest-growing markets. Pakistan became a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in 1993 and is seeking to upgrade to Full Dialogue Partner status, despite the current moratorium on new dialogue partners. The meeting marked a renewed push by Pakistan to anchor itself more firmly in the ASEAN economic landscape, with both sides agreeing to chart a roadmap for increasing trade, investment, and institutional cooperation in the months ahead.
