During a D-8 Chambers of Commerce and Industry (D-8 CCI) meeting hosted by FPCCI in Karachi, Irfan Soomro, Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), asserted that commercial diplomacy remains a foundational pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy. Addressing the forum, he emphasized that Pakistan is actively shifting its strategic posture within the D-8 bloc, moving beyond simple trade volume metrics toward building deep, sustainable, and long-term economic partnerships.
Reflecting on the three-decade history of the D-8 alliance, Soomro urged member states to translate long-standing memorandums of understanding into tangible economic outcomes. He highlighted that the bloc represents a combined economy of nearly $5 trillion and a population exceeding one billion people across Far East Asia to Africa. This provides an extraordinary market for mutual growth, particularly in high-potential sectors such as agriculture, mineral development, tourism, and demographic assets.
A central theme of the briefing was rectifying Pakistan’s current trade disparity with D-8 partners. Out of Pakistan’s $11 billion annual trade with the group, imports account for $8 billion while exports sit at just $2.8 billion. To correct this imbalance, Soomro emphasized that while the government provides favorable policy frameworks and international agreements, the private sector must lead the trade expansion. He urged Pakistani business leaders, along with women and youth entrepreneurs, to actively collaborate with foreign diplomatic missions to tap into new markets and leverage the country’s strategic ports and young labor force.
The summit also featured key policy endorsements from business leaders and international representatives. FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh commended recent ministerial decisions, highlighting the setup of a permanent D-8 Chambers Secretariat in Istanbul under TOBB as a major institutional milestone. Concurrently, D-8 Secretary General Sohail Mahmood advocated for deeper integration in the halal economy and financial trade tools, while FPCCI leadership underscored the urgent implementation of Preferential Trade Agreements (PTA) to maximize intra-bloc commerce.
