Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Masood Khan has said that 70 million dollars in bilateral trade between Oklahoma and Pakistan is far below the actual potential and carried a huge scope to be enhanced manifolds through better networking and greater interaction of the private sector of the two sides.
“Mining, oil & gas, extractive industry, agriculture, energy and infrastructure development, all provided solid foundations to enter into a robust and a win-win partnership,” stated Pakistan’s Ambassador.
Addressing as a keynote speaker during Oklahoma City Annual Banquet, Masood Khan said that the vision of Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and the priorities of Pakistan’s government made the two sides natural allies in the economic sphere.
The event, according to a statement by Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC, was addressed among others by Governor John Kevin Stitt and attended by US officials, businessmen, entrepreneurs, professionals, and a large number of the Pakistani diaspora.
Bilateral trade between the US and Pakistan has been on an upward trajectory over the last few years. According to the US Census Bureau, bilateral trade was over 8.8 billion dollars in 2021 while it stood at 7.8 billion dollars between January and October 2022.
Highlighting the contributions of the Pakistani diaspora towards the socio-economic development of Oklahoma, the Ambassador noted that 5000 Pakistani Americans, including 300 doctors of Pakistan origin, in the state along with a strong network of over 220,000 diasporas in the nine adjacent states were an important plank and partner in Oklahoma’s march towards socio-economic prosperity.
Urging Oklahoma’s business community and the diaspora, the Ambassador highlighted healthcare, health tech, medical transcription and billing, diagnostics, and pharmaceuticals as the critical areas where there existed huge opportunities for making timely and productive investments.
Earlier, during his meeting with Governor John Kevin Stitt, the Ambassador discussed the way forward in strengthening Pak-Oklahoma economic partnership, especially in mutually beneficial priority areas including clean energy projects.
The Ambassador observed that the recent floods in Pakistan and the generous assistance not only by the US administration but by the US citizens had once again proved the inherent strengths of Pak-US partnership. He said the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase of the post-flood era has opened up new vistas for support and investment from the business community of Oklahoma to reap the benefits of not only a market of over 220 people but also a vast neighborhood comprising of East and Central Asia, Middle East and Africa.
Governor Stitt appreciated the role and contributions of Pakistani doctors, physicians, and other professionals toward the socioeconomic development of the state of Oklahoma.
The Ambassador invited Governor Stitt to visit Pakistan at his convenience which he graciously accepted.