“Each and every citizen of any country plays the role of an ambassador”, Mr. A R Punjwani

Mr. A R Punjwani, Chief Executive, Qasim Freight Station

Mr. Sohail Yasin Suleman messaged me: “you are going with us to Mauritius”; and I said okay. I knew nothing about Mauritius, but to see or explore new places is always amazing and a businessman never misses such opportunities.  First of all, it was a pleasure to meet with the members of the delegation, to know each of them and then to visit such beautiful and peaceful place like Mauritius has been a wonderful experience.

I realized that the way in which Mauritian people greet their guests is different. They are really hospitable. There is a sense of responsibility in each and every citizen. Even the attitude of the President of Mauritius, the Prime Minister of Mauritius and other officials of Government of Mauritius reflected that they possessed high sense of responsibility towards the people of Mauritius. The simplicity of government officials and their sincerity towards their country is reflected in every action of them. So is their national character and personality which has led them towards development.

I wonder how the President and Prime Minister of any country can be so simple. Only one dish dinner was served at Islamic Center where VVIPs were invited to celebrate Eid Festival. Simplicity is their specialty. There is no VIP culture in Mauritius. I felt so much positivity in the people of Mauritius, whether we met government officials or Board of Investment executives or the representatives of other organizations. I think this positive attitude will take them to even greater level of development.

Environment was good all over the country.  People were nice.  So by and large, it’s a very attractive country. There are people with different backgrounds and religions like Hindus, Muslims, Christians and others.  But for them, Mauritius comes first. Citizens of Mauritius profess different religious faiths but homogeneity is commendable. There does not exist any iota of e3xtremism in any section of Mauritius society.

Exploring business opportunity in Mauritius, I see there exists many options. Mauritius enjoys position of hub of the entire African market.  So there are openings to export consumer goods. I realized that there were no super-stores like we have Makro, Metro, Hyperstar and others in Karachi. Moreover there is a shortage of dairy products there. So there are lots of business prospects in this sector.

As a professional in shipping and logistics sector, one feels there is a problem of low volume of exports/imports. Only big lines are working there like Maersk line. Entry in the logistics market is difficult because of low economies of scale.

Tourism can be increased from Pakistan to Mauritius as it is a very beautiful tourist spot and weather always remains pleasant. Tourism always gives birth to new business opportunities. It should always be promoted.  About 1 million tourists visit Mauritius every year.  If Pakistani’s have shops and display centers there, it can promote business from Pakistan.

"Each and every citizen of any country plays the role of an ambassador." 

We have to build our country’s image by our good behavior. As you know, the first impression is the last impression. When you visit any country in the world, the first impression is created by a taxi driver outside the airport.  The people of Mauritius are genuine & simple, honest and friendly, whether serving as taxi drivers or as member of the hotel staff.

I think the objective of this visit to Mauritius was achieved, which was to explore Mauritius, to meet one to one and to open the door to reciprocal investment. Thanks to Sohail Yasin Suleman who organized the successful delegation as Honorary Consul of Mauritius.