Karachi, 16 Oct 2023: In an initiative to advance trade and business within Pakistan, there are ongoing endeavours to establish an expo center in Islamabad. This revelation comes from a meeting held between representatives from the Pakistan Association of Exhibition Industry (PAEI) and the Federal Secretary Commerce of Pakistan, Muhammad Saleh Ahmed Farooqi.

The delegation from PAEI, led by its Chairman Khurshid Barlas, included key members like Fahad Barlas, Convener Exhibition, Amin-ur-Rahman, Sadia Zia, and Sheikh Rehan-ur-Rahman. Additional Secretary Ahsan Ali Mangi and the Director General of International Trade from Karachi also participated in this meeting. During this engagement, the PAEI briefed the Secretary on the various domestic and international events they've organized, all intended to foster investment and propel national development.

Barlas highlighted an upcoming summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, scheduled for February 10, 2024. Organized by the PAEI, this summit will spotlight Pakistan's tourism, pharmaceutical, and minerals medical sectors. He emphasized the myriad of investment opportunities available for Pakistani entrepreneurs in sectors ranging from tourism to food processing and underscored the untapped potential for Pakistani products in the Saudi market. The need for bilateral market access between the two countries was also discussed.

A crucial issue presented by Barlas was the glaring absence of an expo center in Islamabad. To address this, Barlas revealed that they are exploring the possibility of integrating the Expo Center initiative into the Rink Road project due to the limited available space in Islamabad.

The meeting concluded with Khurshid Barlas presenting a commemorative shield to Federal Secretary Commerce Muhammad Saleh Ahmed Farooqi on behalf of PAEI. This news is based on a press release from the Pakistan Association of Exhibition Industry.