Sri Lanka-Pakistan Business Council holds 33rd AGM

Newly appointed committee of SLPBC for 2025/26

The 33rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Sri Lanka-Pakistan Business Council (SLPBC) was held recently, attended by Major General (R) Faheem Ul Aziz, HI (M) High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka, at Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo. 

DMW Ventures (Pvt.) Ltd Managing Director Wasantha de Silva was elected as President of the SLPBC for 2025/26, while Feroze Haji Anver from Cliftex Industries (Pvt.) Ltd and Perakum Mahasen Abeysekera from Vinu International Trading Company (Pvt.) Ltd were elected as Vice Presidents and M. Shabeer Iqbal from Star Textile Processing Industries was elected as Treasurer. 

Kalhari Group of Companies Chairman/Managing Director Indhra Kaushal Rajapaksa will serve the committee as Immediate Past President. The newly appointed committee for the year 2025/26 consists of Gayan Maddumarachchi from APS Logistics International (Pvt.) Ltd, Malithi Rajapaksha from John Keells Holdings PLC, Abdul Rehman Abdul Aziz from Rays International Shipping (Pvt.) Ltd, Chandana Jirasinha from Aitken Spence Cargo (Pvt.) Ltd and Priyantha Dissanayake from Mansel Ceylon (Pvt.) Ltd. 

Aziz emphasised the need to increase Sri Lanka’s tea exports to Pakistan and also called on Sri Lankan businesses to pursue investment opportunities in Pakistan, particularly in high-potential sectors. 

Immediate Past President Indhra Kaushal Rajapaksha (left) and newly appointed President Wasantha De Silva (right) present a commemorative plaque to Major General (Ret.) Faheem Ul Aziz, HI (M), Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka

Addressing the gathering, de Silva affirming that the deep-rooted friendship between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, built on shared values, strong people-to-people connections and expanding economic ties, continues to flourish under the free trade agreement, with immense potential in trade, tourism and business collaboration.

The SLPBC aims to promote trade, services and tourism between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The council’s efforts are geared towards building stronger industry engagements, exploring new business opportunities and facilitating greater collaboration among these two nations to unlock their combined potential. Efforts such as facilitating on-arrival visa services for Pakistani visitors are a key component of this strategy.