Pakistan is a developing market with a young and increasing population of around 186 million – that’s three times the UK population – and around 55 million live in urban areas.
It’s reckoned Pakistan’s cities generate up to 78% of national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with Karachi alone contributing about 20%. The growing and aspirational middle class has an appetite for creative, innovative and high quality goods and services.
There are over 100 British businesses trading in Pakistan – including some well-known names like Barclays, Unilever, Debenhams and Toni & Guy – and if you’re looking to join them, you’ll want an easy-to-use and cost-effective international conference call provider.
How to set up a conference call between Pakistan and the UK
Go to ConferenceCall.co.uk to get your free PIN and then click on ‘Invite Participants’ to generate an email template.
Enter the time, date and subject of the proposed conference call, choose UK and Canada dial-in codes, then click ‘Copy this invitation’, paste it into an email and to up to 100 participants.
Dial-in numbers to call
At the allotted time colleagues should dial the following numbers and enter your PIN:
– UK participants dial 0843 373 0843
– Pakistan participants dial 021-37130616
And that’s it, your conference call is ready to begin!
Where is Pakistan?
The capital of Pakistan, Karachi, sits almost 4,000 miles from London.
What is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice on traveling to Pakistan?
Increasing tensions between Pakistan and India mean the area can be dangerous to travelers.
The FCO is currently advising against all but essential travel to the following places:
- the Kalesh Valley, the Bamoboret Valley and Arandu District to the south and west of Chitral in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
- the city of Quetta
- the city of Nawabshah in Sindh Province, and areas of interior Sindh to the north of Nawabshah
And is advising against all travel to the following areas:
- the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
- the districts of Charsadda, Kohat, Tank, Bannu, Lakki, Dera Ismail Khan, Swat, Buner and Lower Dir in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
- the city of Peshawar and districts south of the city, including travel on the Peshawar to Chitral road via the Lowari Pass
- northern and western Balochistan
- travel on the Karakoram Highway between Islamabad and Gilgit
There are also warnings against travelling to the bigger cities of Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, where the threat of terrorism and kidnap is high. If you do need to travel to any of these places, always be on your guard and try to keep away from crowds, including public events, political gatherings, religious processions and even sporting events.
For more information, go to GOV.UK
You may be well advised to avoid travel completely and carry out your business via conference call.
What’s the best time to call Pakistan from the UK?
Direct flights from London to Karachi take around seven-and-three-quarter hours, and is six hours ahead of the UK – so it’s probably best to call before midday in the UK, when it will be afternoon in Pakistan.
