PESHAWAR: The business community has urged the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to play its role for removal of impediments in the way of regional trade through imparting essential training to exporters and provision of easy loans to local investors to strengthen national economy.

They said that Pakistan was losing a huge amount of foreign exchange owing to impediments in the way of regional trade and exports.

Representatives of the business community expressed these views during a meeting with theTDAP officials at the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Saturday.

SCCI president Hasnain Khurshid Ahmad and Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Shahida Perveen represented their forums while apprising TDAP director general Naseer Ahmad of their problems.

The participants attributed Pakistan`s trade deficit to lack of effective mechanism to capture regional markets. They said the main cause of losing foreign exchange was lack of interest by the relevant departments.

Besides the chamber`s senior vice-president Imran Khan Mohmand, vice-president Javed Akhtar and former president Faiz Mohammad Faizi, the Industrialist Association Peshawar (IAP) president Malik Imran Ishaq, executive member Ejaz Khan Afridi, TDAP Peshawar region director SabzAli Khan, Islamabad director Ishaq Shinwari and Small Industrialists Association president Arif Wahid also spoke on the occasion.

The speakers feared that Pakistan could go economically bankrupt if practical measures were not adopted for capturing the regional markets. They said in the prevailing uncertain situation serious efforts were needed to stabilise businesses, trade and economy.

The participants demanded the government to streamline trade with regional countries and ease difhculties of traders, especially exporters.

They also called for the effective role of commercial attachés and counsellors posted in foreign missions to capture central Asian markets. They urged the State Bank ofPakistan toensure issuance of easy loans to exporters to fully exploit opportunities in regional countries.The SCCIchiefproposed signing of free trade agreements with Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics to earn foreign exchange and stabilise local economy.

TDAP director general Naseer Ahmad said the federal government was committed to facilitating investors and promoting regional trade. He said the regional trade had been divided into three regions, including African Region, Central Asian region and Asean region.

He said TDAP would organise one single country exhibition in October and the other such expo in the Central Asian region in December this year. He invited the KP business community to participate in both the exhibitions.

He agreed with the proposals of members of the chambers for holding training sessions for brand promotion and joint exhibitions.