CPEC should be expanded to regional countries: SAARC-CCI chief

Islamabad: President SAARC Chambers of Commerce and Industry (SAARC-CCI) Iftikhar Ali Malik has said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) should be expanded to regional countries, especially Afghanistan,

He stressed the need for unlocking potentials of regional economic cooperation and integration to boost trade among SAARC members countries especially with Afghanistan at this critical juncture.

Talking to a delegation of traders led by Chaudhry Muhammad Farooq Arain of Manchester UK which called him here, he maintained that the inter regional trade in South Asia is less than one third of its potential which indicates 67 percent of trade is not being fully exploited.

Malik saw the role of Afghanistan as a connector and as land bridge between Central Asia, the middle East and South Asia and urged the need to review it in prevailing scenario to primarily focus on promotion of trade and investment.

Malik said even today, Afghanistan is seen as a viable doorway to South Asian countries for direct access to oil and gas of republics of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

He underscored that better trade ties will help promote economic growth and to do away with abject poverty in the region especially in Afghanistan thus enhancing its cross border and transit trade with neighboring countries.

Malik observed that like Afghanistan, CPEC was also a connector of the region and must be used fir the purpose of bringing all the countries closer.