Jhalak Shrestha, 35, is a trader, who visits all the stalls of Made in Pakistan Expo whenever it has been organized over the last five years. There are many traders like Jhalak, who wait for the expo to buy goods from Pakistan.

Leather and cotton products, particularly towels from Pakistan, are very popular in Nepal. This is the reason these products disappear in a very short time from the expo. This year is no exception. Many products brought from Pakistan are sold within a few days.

Minister for Commerce Min Bahadur Bishowkarma inaugurated the eighth edition of Made In Pakistan Expo at a function at the United World Trade Center. The exhibition closed on 19 October.

Many products from Pakistan are popular in Nepal. Similarly, Nepalese tea is popular in Pakistan. However, the cost of importing and exporting such products is very high. Although Nepal and Pakistan are very close from land, there is no direct transport link between the two.

With the closure of Pakistan International Airlines direct flight to Kathmandu, the two countries have very few options and conduct bilateral trade through Singapore.

Organized by the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with a number of Pakistani businessmen, different kinds of products are shown at the exhibition.

The products for sale include furniture, leather items, handicraft, textile and artificial jewelry. A group of more than fifty businessmen from Pakistan came for the trade fair.

Inaugurating the expo, Minister of Commerce Bishowkarma said this kind of expo helped foster the bilateral trade between the two countries. “There is a lot of scope to enhance the trade between the two SAARC member countries."

Ambassador of Pakistan to Nepal Mazhar Javed said that Pakistan and Nepal have very cordial and friendly bilateral relations.  Pakistan produces a variety of high-quality products. This expo will help Nepalese business communities and people to learn about the products of Pakistan. "The expo will greatly help in introducing Pakistani products to Nepalese consumers and provide a platform for interaction between the businessmen of the two countries.”

According to the data of Department of Customs, Nepal imported products from Pakistan worth of 435 million rupees in the fiscal year 2016/017. Nepali exports to Pakistan stood at 155 million rupees.

Similarly, the total trade between Pakistan and Nepal was Rs.313 million in the year 2015/016. The volume of trade between the two countries doubled this year. It is however still too small. Only through connectivity and more expos like this, the trade of two South Asian Countries can increase.

Attended by Chief Secretary Rajendra Kumar Kshetry and Secretary General SAARC Amjad Hussain B.Sial,Made In Pakistan Expo was an occasion for peoples of both to understand market and taste of each other.