The eighth edition of the Made in Pakistan Expo has opened at Tripureshwar-based Trade Centre in Kathmandu from Wednesday. Various goods and products, especially leather goods and handicraft items are kept on display and sale in the exhibition. 

The exhibition is organised with the goal of promoting Nepal-Pakistan bilateral ties and trade. 

The Embassy of Pakistan here has been coordinating and facilitating this exhibition since the last some years. 

Although the diplomatic relations between Nepal and Pakistan were established in 1960, there has not been a significant growth in the bilateral trade over the years. The volume of bilateral trade between the two SAARC member countries in the last five years was worth 48 million US dollars. Nepal had exported goods worth approximately 4.5 million US dollars to Pakistan last year. 

Minister for Commerce Min Bahadur Biswokarma and Pakistan's ambassador to Nepal Mazhar Javed jointly inaugurated the exhibition. 

In his opening remarks on the occasion, Minister Biswokarma expressed his belief that the exhibition would help further expand the bilateral trade and ties between Nepal and Pakistan. He added that the ties should be expanded at the people's level. 

Chief Secretary of Nepal Government, Rajendra Kishor Chhetri underscored the need of further boosting the bilateral trade between the two countries which are the founding members of the SAARC. 

The exhibition will last for seven days. This kind of exhibition has been taking place since the last eight years. 

President of Nepal-Pakistan Friendship Society, Himalaya Shumsher Rana, among other speakers, had wished success of the exhibition. RSS