MAKKAH: Iqbal Zafar, Chairman of the Indian Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has said that the Kingdom needs to promote small and medium-sized businesses to give a boost to the Haj and Umrah industries. Speaking during his visit to the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Thursday, Zafar said those firms required greater economic cooperation to secure continuity of partnerships with a larger number of Islamic countries for economic growth. “India specializes in textiles and medical products and is able to provide considerable economic backing to cover the needs of the Gulf markets and help create job opportunities for both parties,” he said. “The presence in Saudi Arabia of a group of Indian businessmen is a reflection of the signed agreement between the two countries, and this meeting can be a starting point to move towards creating investment opportunities.” He added that the Saudi economy had numerous advantages which foreign investors could benefit from, and also urged Saudis to make the most of the Saudi-Indian partnership on the ground in India over the next year.
