Saudis urged to invest in Pakistan
Pakistani business consultant Asif J. Mir gives a presentation at a workshop on strategic marketing organized by Engineers Welfare Forum (EWF) in Jeddah. Seated, from right, are Pakistani Consul General Abdul Salik Khan, and EWF’s President Aleem Khan and General Secretary Masroor Elahi. (AN photo)
Published: Jul 29, 2010 21:46 Updated: Jul 29, 2010 21:46
JEDDAH: Pakistan Consul General Abdul Salik Khan has called on Saudi businessmen and fellow Pakistanis in the Kingdom to consider investing in areas like finance, economy and technology for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
"The government and people (back home) are passing through a tough time, but due to the commitment and hard work we will overcome the situation and Pakistan will soon be a developing country," he said.
He was speaking as the chief guest at an Engineers Welfare Forum (EWF) workshop on strategic marketing on Wednesday night.
Pakistani business consultant Asif J. Mir, who visited the Kingdom to conduct the workshop, offered to run the training institute for professional development for EWF free of charge.
The forum’s general secretary Masroor Elahi accepted the offer and said the institute project would be pursued and implemented.
Mir said marketing had totally changed and assumed tremendous importance in modern business.
"To start a business in a professional manner, the first requirement is to have a vision followed by planning and management of the customer's needs,” he said.
“Brand management is another important aspect of today's business, since customer trust allows higher return on sales.”
He called on the Pakistani government to establish ethics regulating business operations and management so that trading activities could be monitored, while customers locally and abroad received professional and trusted services and products.
"Lack of training and skill development has dropped the quality of our manpower, hence the output of one Malaysian worker is about five times that of a Pakistani worker," Mir added.
"Though we are an agricultural country, large quantities of cotton, crops, fruit, vegetables and even fisheries perish before reaching the prospective users. We need to facilitate proper storage, preservation and transportation to maintain the quality and value of our agricultural products."
EWF President Aleem Khan highlighted the role of his organization, which includes organizing professional seminars, publication of a magazine, arranging scholarships, professional support through its affiliate Institution of Engineers Pakistan (IEP) as well as social events.
