ISLAMABAD: Acting Senate Chairman Saleem Mandviwala Wednesday said there was huge scope for enhancing trade and investment between Pakistan and Canada beyond the current level.
He expressed these views in a meeting with Canadian High Commissioner Wendy Gilmour here at the Parliament House. Both sides discussed matters of mutual interest and exchanged views on different issues, including trade, investment, parliamentary cooperation, student visa issues, and others.
Mandviwala said companies of both countries could explore more business opportunities for the mutual benefit of their people.   He said Pakistan highly valued its bilateral relationship with Canada and desired to further expand the friendly ties. He underscored the need for enhanced parliamentary interaction and people-to-people contacts. The acting Senate chairman also recalled his recent visit to Canada where he had fruitful interactions with parliamentarians and other high ranking government functionaries.
He said that there was a need to increase trade activity between the two countries. He highlighted some significant areas like surgical instruments, textile goods, leather, agriculture and others in which exports to Canada could be enhanced. He also stressed the need for bilateral investment and digital trade.  Mandviwala said there was huge potential in Pakistan but due to visa issues, students preferred the United States, the United Kingdom and other European destinations for education and achieving higher qualifications. Students needed to be facilitated to get an education in Canadian educational institutions of higher learning, he added.
Senator Dilawar Khan, who was also present in the meeting, underscored the need for enhanced parliamentary cooperation and trade linkages between the two countries. The Canadian high commissioner agreed with the views of acting Senate chairman. She said the security situation in Pakistan was improving and more parliamentary cooperation would pave the way for enhanced linkages between the two sides.