Islamabad, Feb 8: Pakistan’s Commerce Minister, Jam Kamal Khan, engaged in crucial talks with leading Saudi business figures during the “Made in Pakistan” exhibition in Jeddah, held from February 5-7, 2025. The exhibition focused on fostering business collaborations, investment opportunities, and encouraging Saudi brands to enter the Pakistani market.
Khan highlighted a 22% increase in Pakistan’s exports to Saudi Arabia, which reached $700 million in the previous year, and emphasized a business-friendly environment in Pakistan, including tax exemptions, investor protection laws, and access to Pakistan’s large consumer market of 240 million people. Saudi investors showed interest, especially in sectors like construction materials, textiles, and food industries.
The discussions also touched on recent reforms in Pakistan to ease the business environment, including the Pakistan Single Window (PSW) and the National Compliance Center, both aimed at streamlining trade regulations and enhancing export standards.
Pakistan is keen to strengthen business-to-business (B2B) ties with Saudi Arabia, especially in light of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reforms, which focus on diversification and foreign investment. The two countries have already signed 34 memorandums of understanding worth $2.8 billion during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Riyadh last October, aimed at boosting commercial partnerships.
The meeting also included a visit to the Saudi food chain Albaik, which is set to open outlets in Pakistan. This expansion is expected to create job opportunities and further enhance economic ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Minister Khan also met with Pakistani investors in Jeddah, where he highlighted that Saudi Arabia remains a top destination for Pakistani emigrants, with 1.7 million Pakistanis traveling to the Kingdom in the last five years. The newly established Pakistan Investor Forum in Jeddah is also playing a key role in fostering business collaborations between the two countries.
