By S.M. Inam
KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange marked a symbolic moment in Pakistan–Canada economic relations on Tuesday as Samir Dossal, president of the Canada Pakistan Business Council, rang the ceremonial opening bell, celebrating a bilateral trade relationship that had crossed the $1bn mark and was showing signs of renewed momentum.
The gong ceremony, held at the PSX building in Karachi, was presented as more than a formal market ritual. It was framed by speakers as a signal of growing confidence in Pakistan’s capital markets and of deepening institutional links between the exchange and the Canadian business community.
Dossal used the occasion to thank PSX chairman Ruhail Muhamad and managing director and chief executive Farrukh Sabzwari, while paying particular tribute to Nadeem Naqvi, a director of both PSX and the CPBC, for what he described as sustained efforts to strengthen dialogue between international investors and Pakistan’s financial sector.
Speaking against the backdrop of a buoyant stock market, Dossal said the exchange’s recent performance sent an encouraging message to Canadian investors at a time when Pakistan was emerging from several years of economic strain. He said the market’s resilience suggested that the country had navigated recent challenges and was positioning itself for more stable and sustained growth.
With a population exceeding 240 million, he added, Pakistan represented a sizeable and expanding market for Canadian goods and services, while the Pakistani-origin diaspora in Canada continued to act as a bridge for skills, investment and business links in both directions.
