Sri Lanka – Pakistan Business Council holds 32nd AGM

The 32nd Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka – Pakistan Business Council (SLPBC) was recently held, graced by (M)High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka Major General (R) Faheem Ul Aziz, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Pakistan Admiral Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne at Cinnamon Grand, Colombo.

Kalhari Group of Companies Chairman/Managing Director Indhra Kaushal Rajapaksa was re-elected as President of SLPBC for 2024/25. The Vice-Presidents elected for 2024/25 include DMW Ventures Ltd. Managing Director Wasantha de Silva and MAC Holdings Ltd. Director Gayan Maddumarachchi, Eswaran Brothers Exports Ltd. Managing Director S.Deivanayagam, will continue to serve the committee as immediate Past President.

The newly appointed committee for the year 2024/25 consists of Feroze Anver from Creative Textile Mill Ltd., Ranella Jayasuriya from John Keells Holdings PLC, Abdul Rehman Abdul Aziz from Rays International Shipping Ltd., M. Shabeer Iqbal from Star Textile Processing Industries and P. M. Abeysekara from Vinu International Trading Co. Ltd.

Addressing the gathering, Rajapaksa highlighted the contributions of the two nations to uplift each other during difficult times. Further he highlighted that the Pakistan High Commission has been highly supportive and working closely to enhance trade, investment, and tourism despite challenges with the existing Free Trade Agreement (FTA), ongoing discussions aim to remove barriers, unlocking vast growth potential. 

The gathering was addressed by the High Commissioners of the Pakistan and Sri Lanka missions. Both expressed their support to facilitating trade, investment, and tourism, among others, between the two nations. 

SLPBC aims to promote trade, services, and tourism between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The Council’s efforts are geared towards building stronger industry engagements, exploring new business opportunities, and facilitating greater collaboration among these two nations to unlock their combined potential. Efforts such as facilitating on-arrival visa services for Pakistani visitors are a key component of this strategy.