By Commerce Reporter
LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry hosted a grand “Ambassadors Dinner” to deepen Pakistan’s diplomatic ties and accelerating economic cooperation with the outer world.
The Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Senior Representatives from 43 countries across Asia, Europe, America, Africa, Middle East and other parts of the world attended the dinner.
Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Turkmenistan Atadjan Movlamov was the Chief Guest while LCCI President Mian Abuzar Shad, Senior Vice President and Convener of LCCI Standing Committee on Diplomatic, Foreign Missions & Embassies Liaison Engineer Khalid Usman and Vice President Shahid Nazir Chaudhry spoke on the occasion. LCCI Executive Committee Members and leading industrialists were also present.
The event was also graced by the envoys from the countries including Bahrain, Yemen, Morocco, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iran, Turkey, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, China, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Brazil and Argentina underscored the global importance of the occasion and the international community’s keen interest in forging closer ties with Pakistan.
The event was designed as a strategic dialogue between the diplomatic community and Pakistan’s private sector on trade, investment, regional connectivity and shared economic priorities.
Speaking on the occasion, LCCI LCCI President Mian Abuzar Shad shed light on the broad vision for Pakistan’s role in regional commerce and global value chains. He also expressed views on the LCCI’s diplomatic engagement as an essential part of Pakistan’s growth strategy and urged the international community to view Pakistan as a partner in trade, industry and investment.
He said that Pakistan is positioned as a natural logistics and trade hub geographically to link South Asia with Central Asia and the Middle East and urged partners to capitalize on emerging corridors and transit routes.
He called attention to immediately investible sectors including textiles and garments, value-add and export-focused, agribusiness and food processing, renewable energy projects, information technology and digital services, pharmaceuticals and infrastructure. He asked foreign partners to focus on joint ventures, technology transfers and capacity building.
Dean of Ambassadors Atadjan Movlamov praised the LCCI’s initiative and underscored the role of business-diplomacy in fostering mutual understanding and collaboration. He said that forums of this kind create trust, a precursor to long-term trade and investment commitments and commended LCCI for opening channels for sustained engagement.
He identified trade facilitation, energy cooperation, technology exchange and cultural diplomacy as fertile areas for collaborative projects and encouraged both government and private sector actors to work together to remove practical bottlenecks.
He said that economic cooperation is inseparable from regional stability and suggested that diplomatic missions can help catalyse business delegations and sectoral dialogues that lead to real projects.
LCCI Senior Vice President Engineer Khalid Usman said that the proposals would be consolidated into a policy brief to be submitted to the Ministry of Commerce and relevant federal and provincial authorities to seek concrete reforms in customs, trade facilitation and SME support.
He said that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry will collaborate with partner embassies to design joint training and technical assistance programs aimed at SMEs and women entrepreneurs.
Engineer Khalid Usman expressed hope that the event will catalyse actionable outcomes. He also underscored the need for rapid, measurable steps such as pilot trade corridors and dedicated financing windows that can demonstrate quick wins and build momentum for larger projects.
All the diplomats appreciated the pivotal role of economic diplomacy in unlocking Pakistan’s potential. By convening diplomats and business leaders in a collegial environment, LCCI succeeded in translating abstract policy conversations into concrete sectoral roadmaps and a set of practical next steps.
The LCCI office-bearers said that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry will follow through with diplomatic missions and government stakeholders to convert the dialogue into trade missions, investment projects and cooperation frameworks that deliver jobs, exports and sustainable growth.
