Dubai A huge delegation of top Pakistani businessmen led by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif will visit Dubai from next Saturday to the following Monday to lure investors and boost trade relations, Gulf News has learnt.
The highlight of the visit will be an investment conference at Emirates Towers Hotel on Monday. The conference will be attended by potential investors, both Pakistani and expatriate, and officials from the Dubai government, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Dubai Department of Economic Development.
More than 100 businessmen and the Punjab government officials will be among the delegation. The event is being organised by the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT).
During the visit, Punjab Chief Minister Sharif will also hold talks with the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on co-operation to develop a metro system in Lahore similar to the Dubai Metro.
Traffic congestion
"Sharif will meet the RTA official and visit the Dubai Metro as he is interested in having a similar metro system in Lahore, which is facing acute traffic congestion," a diplomat at the Pakistan Embassy told Gulf News.
Apart from the investment conference, the businessmen are also expected to sign some business deals and memoranda of understanding with various business groups in Dubai.
"The purpose of the visit is not only to attract investement, but also to improve trade ties and raise exports from Punjab to the UAE," he said.
Pakistan's Punjab province is becoming a progressively more significant player on Asia's economic map. In 2010, the province with 92 million people is expected to exceed Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh in terms of the value of its gross provincial product.
"Punjab believes in free trade where there are no restrictions on exports or imports. We also welcome foreign direct investments and do not restrict the repatriation of profits and capital," said Sharif in a statement.
He added that Punjab has experienced an average growth rate of about 7.5 per cent since 2003.
As a largely agrarian province which is self-sustaining, Punjab enjoys an abundance of food and livestock output.
Some of the world's biggest crops are found here in rice, cotton, wheat, dairy and meat. It also has various mineral resources and a very large skilled labour force.
Flood aid in focus
More than 2,000 delegates from 52 countries are participating in the 38th India, South Asia, Africa and Middle East (ISAMEE) Forum Pakistan in Dubai to talk about investment projects and flood relief efforts in Pakistan.
About 800 delegates from Pakistan and India will discuss possibilities for initiating goodwill, economic and social welfare projects between the two countries.
The forum is being organised by the Lions Clubs International with the objective of portraying Pakistan's image as a peaceful country.
