A U.S.-Pakistan Business Council (USPBC) delegation led by Chairman Miles Young visited Pakistan March 16-20 for a series of public and private sector meetings aimed at increasing trade between the United States and Pakistan, and fostering U.S. corporate investment in Pakistan. The delegation met with high level officials, including Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan. Accompanied by USPBC President Esperanza Jelalian, the delegation held productive meetings in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.
Washington D.C.-based USPBC is an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Its members include small, medium, and multinational companies that export to or invest in Pakistan. The Chamber has maintained an ongoing and active role in promoting private sector engagement in Pakistan and works closely with the American Business Forum in Lahore and the American Business Council in Karachi. This is the USPBC’s sixth trade mission to Pakistan, and the first visit since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was elected. USPBC members stressed that U.S. companies are eager to work with both countries to deepen U.S. private sector engagement in Pakistan during their meetings.
Carolyn Brehm, Vice President of Government Relations for Procter & Gamble, said that Pakistan has made remarkable progress in a short time and that her company is expanding its business by making additional investments in Pakistan. She said that Procter & Gamble sees great potential in the huge Pakistani market.
The delegation includes Miles Young of Ogilvy & Mather, Carolyn Brehm of Procter & Gamble, Najeeb Ghauri of Netsol Technologies, Ashraf Qazi of the Pakistan American Investment Group, David Wilhelm and Fazli Qadir of Hecate Energy, Taher Khan of Interflow, and Kamran Qamar of Cargill.