ICCI President Urges Overhaul Of Commercial Diplomacy To Boost Exports.
✧ GENERATE BRIEFING +
Sardar Tahir Mehmood, President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), has urged the Pakistani government to align its diplomatic missions with national economic priorities to transform commercial diplomacy into a key driver of export growth. Speaking to visiting business delegations in Islamabad, he highlighted that while Pakistan possesses a robust product base across sectors like textiles, pharmaceuticals, IT, and engineering goods, restricted global trade share stems from weak market penetration and international networking. To fix this, Mehmood outlined a multi-point framework calling for commercial counsellors to proactively share verified buyer leads, execute targeted trade strategies for emerging markets in Central Asia, Africa, and Southeast Asia, and establish tighter institutional links between diplomatic posts, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), and private business chambers.
President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Sardar Tahir Mehmood, has called for a strategic transformation of Pakistan’s commercial diplomacy to turn foreign missions into active engines for export growth.
Addressing visiting business delegations on Saturday, Mehmood emphasized that Pakistani embassies and commercial counsellors must take a proactive role in linking domestic exporters with verified international buyers, distributors, and investment partners.
Addressing Structural Export Barriers
While noting that Pakistan boasts a strong product foundation and significant export potential, the ICCI President pointed out that inadequate market penetration, limited global branding, and weak business networking continue to hinder the country’s share in international trade.
“Our diplomats should not only represent Pakistan diplomatically; they must also become effective facilitators of Pakistani business, exports and investment. Every major market should have a clear commercial strategy based on its demand, import potential and investment opportunities.”
— Sardar Tahir Mehmood, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI)
Key Recommendations for Foreign Trade Expansion
To reform Pakistan’s commercial outreach abroad, the ICCI President presented several actionable measures:
- Institutional Synergy: Establish seamless coordination between Pakistani diplomatic missions, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), local chambers of commerce, and private sector representatives to launch sector-specific export drives.
- Verified Market Intelligence: Direct commercial counsellors to maintain real-time databases of international distributors and regularly share verified business leads with Pakistani exporters.
- Target High-Growth Regions: Prioritize commercial presence and market penetration in non-traditional and emerging trade destinations, including Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
- Digital B2B Engagement: Increase the utilization of digital platforms and virtual B2B match-making sessions to sustain continuous dialogue with overseas buyers.
- Targeted Export Sectors: Focus commercial strategy around value-added products, including textiles, food items, pharmaceuticals, IT services, engineering goods, and construction materials.
Concluding his address, Mehmood reaffirmed the private sector’s readiness to collaborate with the government, emphasizing that embassy performance should ultimately be evaluated by the volume of tangible trade and investment generated for Pakistan.
