Smart Entrepreneur Society (SES) has launched a new international business initiative, SES Global Connect, and introduced the Pakistan–Uzbekistan Business Exchange 2027 as its first proposed country-focused exchange to strengthen trade, investment, and commercial cooperation between Pakistan and international markets. The initiatives were announced during the 4th SES Diplomatic Network 2026, held at the Islamabad Marriott Hotel, where members of the diplomatic community, senior government representatives, business leaders, trade bodies, academics, and professionals gathered to discuss opportunities for cooperation. The event also marked the completion of 10 years of Smart Entrepreneur Society, highlighting its efforts to connect diplomacy, government, industry, academia, and entrepreneurship through business networking and knowledge-sharing platforms.
The gathering included representatives from the embassies of Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, South Africa, Sudan, and Iran, alongside members of the United Nations community in Pakistan. Their participation provided a forum for engagement between Pakistan’s business sector, public institutions, and international stakeholders. The programme opened with the recitation of the Holy Quran and the national anthem, followed by a welcome address from Saif ur Rehman, Director of Zia Family Food Industries and President of the SES Southern Punjab Chapter. Engr. Mehtab Hussain Baloch, Founder and Chairman of Smart Entrepreneur Society, subsequently addressed participants and outlined the organisation’s development and plans for expanding its international engagement.
In his welcome address, Saif ur Rehman stressed the importance of bringing diplomatic missions, government representatives, businesses, and academic institutions together to develop meaningful commercial relationships. He also highlighted Southern Punjab’s potential in agriculture, food processing, textiles, livestock and dairy, packaging, manufacturing, and logistics. According to his address, these industries offer opportunities for stronger trade, investment, and export partnerships with international markets. He invited diplomatic representatives and foreign businesses to establish closer links with entrepreneurs, exporters, and industrial enterprises operating in Rahim Yar Khan, Multan, Bahawalpur, Vehari, and Sahiwal. The SES Southern Punjab Chapter aims to help businesses in these areas access broader networks of international buyers, distributors, investors, and potential commercial partners.
Engr. Mehtab Hussain Baloch discussed the organisation’s development over the past decade, including its activities across logistics and shipping, fast-moving consumer goods, education, construction, and women’s leadership. He also referred to SES’s expanding portfolio of business and knowledge publications, describing the Diplomatic Network as a platform for connecting Pakistan’s business community with diplomatic missions, government institutions, industry, and academia. The event marked the beginning of the organisation’s next phase through the soft launch of SES Global Connect, an initiative built around the vision of “Connecting Pakistan with the World.” The platform is intended to establish more structured international business exchanges involving Pakistani entrepreneurs, exporters, manufacturers, logistics companies, investors, professionals, and academic institutions.
Under SES Global Connect, Central Asia has been identified as the first regional focus, with the Pakistan–Uzbekistan Business Exchange 2027 introduced as the first proposed country-specific initiative. Its principal areas of engagement will include trade, transit, investment, commercial partnerships, knowledge exchange, and people-to-people connectivity. The initiative is expected to connect Pakistani businesses with diplomatic missions, governments, chambers of commerce, international companies, universities, and other institutions. Engr. Mehtab invited diplomatic missions, corporate leaders, exporters, logistics providers, banks, technology companies, and other organisations to participate in future exchanges and explore opportunities for country-specific business cooperation. He summarised the organisation’s direction with the message, “10 Years of Connecting Pakistan, Now Connecting Pakistan with the World.”
A key part of the programme was the keynote address by H.E. Mr. Alisher Tukhtaev, Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Pakistan, who welcomed the introduction of SES Global Connect and the proposed Pakistan–Uzbekistan Business Exchange 2027. He described the initiative as a practical mechanism for organising business delegations, arranging direct business-to-business meetings, engaging with chambers and investment institutions, identifying investment projects, and developing joint ventures between companies in the two countries. The ambassador emphasised that structured engagement could help businesses move beyond general discussions towards identifying specific commercial opportunities and establishing direct relationships with potential partners.
The ambassador identified several sectors with potential for greater cooperation between Pakistan and Uzbekistan, including textiles, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, agriculture and food processing, leather products, sports goods, construction materials, steel and metallurgy, mining and geology, chemicals, renewable energy, information technology, logistics, tourism, and real estate. He also highlighted the importance of improving physical connectivity and regional transport links between Central Asia and South Asia. Better transport connections could support the movement of goods, improve access to regional markets, and help businesses explore new trade routes and commercial partnerships. These areas were presented as potential avenues for developing economic ties through stronger institutional cooperation and direct engagement between businesses.
Emphasising the importance of measurable results, Ambassador Alisher Tukhtaev said the success of the Pakistan–Uzbekistan Business Exchange 2027 should ultimately be assessed through tangible outcomes, including commercial partnerships, contracts, joint ventures, and companies entering each other’s markets. He stated that the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Pakistan was prepared to facilitate engagement with relevant ministries, investment institutions, chambers of commerce, regional administrations, and Uzbek companies. The embassy also expressed its readiness to support Pakistani business delegations visiting Uzbekistan, helping them connect with relevant institutions and explore opportunities for investment and trade. Such cooperation is intended to give the proposed exchange a practical business focus rather than limiting it to networking and discussion.
The event also brought together several prominent representatives from Pakistan’s government and business community. Participants included Squadron Leader Maqsood Ahmed (R), Director General of Pakistan Post; Nosherwan Khalil Khan, President of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Usman Shaukat, Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association; Tariq Khan Jadoon, Vice President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry; Zafar Bakhtawari, Secretary General of the United Business Group; and Muhammad Irfan Soomro, Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Chief Whip of the Senate of Pakistan, attended as the chief guest. Their participation reflected the involvement of public institutions, trade organisations, and private-sector stakeholders in discussions about international business connectivity and economic cooperation.
The programme concluded with the distribution of souvenirs, the SES 10 Years Celebration Ceremony, and a networking session over hi-tea. These activities provided diplomats, government officials, international representatives, and business leaders with further opportunities to establish institutional contacts and discuss potential commercial relationships. The anniversary also marked a decade of SES’s efforts to develop platforms linking entrepreneurship with industry, government, academia, and international stakeholders.
Through the 4th SES Diplomatic Network 2026, Smart Entrepreneur Society reaffirmed its focus on economic diplomacy, international business development, and public-private engagement. The introduction of SES Global Connect and the proposed Pakistan–Uzbekistan Business Exchange 2027 represents an expansion of that approach towards more structured international exchanges. By focusing initially on Central Asia and Uzbekistan, SES aims to create channels through which Pakistani businesses can identify overseas markets, meet potential partners, and explore investment opportunities. The initiative’s long-term contribution will depend on its ability to translate diplomatic engagement and business networking into commercial agreements, joint ventures, and sustained cooperation between Pakistan and international markets.
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