Islamabad: Pakistan’s ambassador-designate to Jordan, Major General Khurram Sarfraz Khan (retd), and the leadership of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) on Tuesday underscored the need to strengthen business-to-business (B2B) linkages between Pakistan and Jordan to unlock untapped trade and investment potential.

The discussion took place during a meeting between Major General Khurram Sarfraz Khan (retd) and ICCI President Sardar Tahir Mehmood at the chamber’s headquarters in Islamabad, where both sides reviewed opportunities for expanding bilateral trade, investment, and private-sector cooperation.

The participants noted that relations between Pakistan and Jordan have gained renewed momentum in recent years, supported by high-level exchanges and longstanding goodwill. They emphasized that closer engagement between business communities, including the exchange of trade delegations and greater people-to-people contact, could play a central role in translating diplomatic ties into economic outcomes.

Ambassador-designate Khurram Sarfraz Khan said the 10th session of the Pakistan–Jordan Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) is scheduled to be held in Islamabad on February 4–5, 2026, describing it as an important platform for advancing cooperation across multiple sectors, particularly trade and investment. He noted that bilateral trade stood at approximately $51.29 million in 2024, a figure he said falls well short of the two countries’ actual potential. He assured the ICCI of his full support in efforts to deepen economic engagement.

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ICCI President Sardar Tahir Mehmood said the existing trade volume does not reflect the true capacity of the two economies and called for closer coordination between chambers of commerce in both countries. He said the ICCI would take all possible steps to facilitate B2B meetings, business delegations, and business opportunity conferences to encourage joint ventures and mutually beneficial partnerships between Pakistan and Jordan.

Highlighting priority sectors for cooperation, he identified pharmaceuticals, agriculture and agro-based products, food processing, textiles and garments, leather goods, information technology and IT-enabled services, construction materials, engineering goods, renewable energy, tourism and hospitality, education, and healthcare as areas with strong potential for collaboration.

Senior ICCI officials, including Senior Vice President Tahir Ayub and Vice President Irfan Chaudhry, stressed the importance of effectively sharing information on Pakistan’s trade and investment opportunities, regulatory environment, and facilitation mechanisms to attract Jordanian investors.

Convener of the ICCI Sister Cities Initiative Committee Sajid Iqbal briefed participants on the committee’s ongoing efforts to explore new business avenues, promote city-to-city cooperation, and strengthen institutional linkages with international counterparts.

Former ICCI President Mohammad Ejaz Abbasi and several executive members of the chamber were also present at the meeting. The participants agreed to maintain close coordination to convert bilateral goodwill into tangible trade and investment gains for both countries.