Syed Mazhar Ali Nasir Senior Vice President, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry while answering the SCO panel discussion stated that Pakistan is a main country in the Chinese One Belt and Route initiatives under CPEC which connects Central Asian Republics and Afghanistan with the world through Karachi and Gwadar ports. SCO would also help Pakistan promote China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a regional connectivity to promote trade with Russia China and India.
The accession of the full membership of the SCO has come at the time when Pakistan is already seeking to establish trade links with Central Asian countries. Most of these central Asian countries are landlocked, but they could convert their perceived disadvantage of being landlocked into an asset by constructing a web and network of roads, railways, highways, oil and gas pipelines intersecting from East to West and North to South to connect industrial and production hubs with consumer markets. Pakistan already having Karachi as its major port and under develop Gwadar Port can act as a gateway for the region allowing these countries to use its ports and territory for such purpose.
He further said that the SCO extends full cooperation and support to Central Asian Republics that are also member of Economic Cooperation Organization where Pakistan is one of the founding members.
Syed Mazhar Ali Nasir also said that he supports digitalization and electronic documentation of trade.
The panel discussion was attended by Dr. Shamshad Akhtar Former Governor SBP, Mr. Rashid Alimove, Secretary General, SCO, Mr. Raimbek Batalove, Chairman Raimbek Group, Boris Dubrovsky Governor of Chelyanbinsk Region, Alexey Gruzdev, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russian Federation, Hu Hualibang, Chairman, China Development Bank, Bakhtiyar Khakimov, Special Representative of the President of Russian Federatoin, Shiv Vikram Khemka, Vice Chairman SUN Group,Vladimir Ulahovich, Chairman Balarusain Chamber and Chen Zhou Vice Chairman China Council for the promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).