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When he taught poor carpet weavers in Afghanistan a few years ago to sell their wares directly in the US — bypassing the middlemen in Karachi — Jagat Shah received numerous threats from angry Pakistanis.
But next week, the trade consultant from Ahmedabad will find the situation in Pakistan a lot more cordial. Shah will conduct a training session on how to do business globally for members of the Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat in Karachi. It will be held at a new industrial park to be inaugurated by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Al-Tijaarat al-Rabeha, a trust managing the affairs of the Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat, under the banner of Faiz-e-Hakimi, Karachi, is organising the event on ‘A Professional Approach to Global Trading’.
The event aims at creating an understanding of critical international trading operations and developing an attitude for success for its members, Shah told BusinessLine .
The Bohras, who have had close links with Gujarat for generations, are concerned about the future of their children. “The younger generation are highly educated (many of them abroad) and do not want to get into their family businesses,” said Shah.
“I, therefore, advised them to set up an industrial park for manufacturing so that the younger generation could join this business.”
The trust has invited Shah to conduct a training programme on April 5 in Karachi.
After that, he will conduct over 100 one-on-one meetings with participating SMEs (small and medium enterprises) for 20 minutes each, guiding them on their next steps.
‘Vibrant’ model Shah’s company, Global Network, which has patented the “Vibrant” model for enhancing trade and investment, co-organised “Vibrant Kutch” in February 2015, to be followed by “Vibrant Saurashtra” in the next few months. “I could also organise a ‘Vibrant Kenya’ in Africa where a large number of people of Gujarati origin live.”
During his Pakistan visit, he will also explore the possibility of organising a ‘Vibrant SAARC Women’s Business Conference’ in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, he said. Shah is the founder and chief mentor of Global Network, an international trade advisory firm, and Cluster Pulse, an economic development agency working in areas of poverty elimination and SME competitiveness.
He had earlier worked in Pakistan under a UNIDO project in Wazirabad Cutlery, Lahore Garment, Sialkot Sport Goods and Gujranwala Fan clusters, guiding them on how to be connected to international markets.
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