ISLAMABAD: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Saturday stressed the need to enhance Islamabad’s engagement with members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to enhance cooperation in trade, investment and priority sectors.

Pakistan is an integral member of the 57-member OIC body, the largest intergovernmental Muslim organization. Islamabad has urged Muslim nations in the past to deepen economic and digital integration, and to remove trade barriers and enhance joint investment in green and technology-driven growth.

FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh said that the combined GDP of OIC members stood at $10.77 trillion in 2025, adding that they recorded $1.7 trillion in exports and $1.6 trillion in imports during the year. He said at the same time, these figures also demonstrate that there exists substantial room for expanding trade among OIC countries through improved trade facilitation, connectivity, financial linkages and private-sector cooperation.

“Pakistan has considerable potential to deepen Islamic economic engagement with OIC markets, particularly in textiles and value-added products, agriculture and food processing, pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, minerals and mining, information technology, halal products, tourism, logistics and renewable energy,” a statement issued by the body said.

“He stressed that the focus should not remain limited to conventional trade but should increasingly include joint ventures, technology partnerships, investment and regional value chains.”

Sheikh noted that Pakistan’s strategic location, sizeable consumer market, young population, industrial base and investment opportunities under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) provide a strong foundation for attracting investment from OIC countries.

He demanded greater business-to-business interaction, joint investment projects and institutional linkages between chambers and business organizations across the Islamic world.

Sheikh said the Pakistani body will host the “FPCCI Islamic Economy Summit with Diplomats” on Oct. 7. He said the event will feature diplomatic missions, commercial representatives, government institutions, financial organizations, chambers of commerce and leading business representatives.

The summit will be used to identify practical opportunities for trade, investment and joint ventures between OIC members, he added.

“The Islamic world possesses enormous economic resources and markets,” he said. “Our objective should be to convert this potential into greater trade, investment, joint ventures and sustainable business partnerships.”