LONDON: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Development, Zulfi Bukhari has said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was committed to fully protect and facilitate the overseas Pakistanis and other foreign investors, in order to attract huge investments for the prosperity of the country.
He said this while addressing the participants of an Eid Milan Dinner hosted in his honour by the United Kingdom Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UKPCCI) here at a local hotel in London Thursday evening.
The event was attended among others by President of UKPCCI Amjad Khan, UKPCCI Chairman Board of Directors Shahid Mirza, its representatives Sajid Khan, Faisal Khawaja, Asad Shah, Tahira Butt, Aisha Malik, Mian Wahid ur Rehman, British Pakistani community businessmen and the UK-based Pakistani journalists.
Bukhari said due to prudent and business-friendly investment policies of the PTI government the country would witness a huge foreign direct investments from Egypt, Malaysia and Gulf countries, adding that nine business tycoons would come to Pakistan with their huge investments by the end of June this year.
He said international business tycoons wanted to make investments in Pakistan, as they knew that an honest, transparent and business-friendly leadership in the face of Prime Minister Imran Khan was ruling the country and their investments would be fully protected and facilitated.
Bukhari said Pakistan offered tremendous opportunities for investors including foreigners in different sectors of the economy with high returns and urged the British Pakistani investors to take optimum benefit from the opportunities for their own benefit and for the socioeconomic prosperity of Pakistan.
He said the UKPCCI would also help in a project of Pakistan International airlines (PIA) for the development of the national flag carrier. He invited the UK investors to invest in information technology and special economic zones and establish their industries in these profitable zones and government would fully facilitate them. He said the UKPCCI was a heritage which had produced British Pakistani tycoons like Sir Anwar Pervaiz and Pakistan looked towards their investments.
He said due to wrong policies of PML-N government the Pakistani exports were stagnant while owing to the prudent policies of the present PTI government, the exports from Pakistan during the last eight months had increased. He lauded Adviser to Prime Minister for Commerce, Textile and Industries Abdul Razzaq Dawood’s efforts for increasing Pakistani exports.
Bukhari said the PTI government wanted to facilitate the overseas Pakistanis investors and in this regard efforts were being made to provide all overseas chambers chairs to be included in the board of Overseas Pakistani Foundation and engage them in the development process of the country with the help of their investments.
He said the government was taking a number of measures for the welfare and resolution of overseas Pakistanis problems including the establishment of overseas courts. He said during eight months of the government many initiatives had been taken especially resolving the property related issues of overseas Pakistanis. He said overseas Pakistani police station for registration of their complaints of cases was being established in Sector F-6/3 of Islamabad.
He said similar police stations would be set up in other parts of Punjab and also replicated them in other provinces to facilitate overseas Pakistanis complaints/cases and their speedy redressal. He said overseas Pakistanis ministry had resolved a number of issues which had never done in the past by previous governments. “My office is always opened to overseas Pakistanis”, he remarked.
Bukhari said he was planning to visit the United States in July and meet the Pakistani and the US investors and invite them to take benefit from the opportunities being offered in various sectors in Pakistan. He added he would also visit Silicon Valley and invite them for investment in Information Technology sector in Pakistan.
He lamented that despite being in power for many years, the PPP government was neither able to establish a good hospital in Larkana (Sindh), nor undertake any development for the welfare of the people of the city. He also criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif saying the latter was unable to establish a world-class hospital during his tenure in Lahore and now he was asking for his treatment abroad. Replying to another question, he said PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif would never return to Pakistan. He said the PTI government had provided the evidence of corruption in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and courts and now it’s up to them to decide the matter.
Replying to another question, he said Pakistani government and military were on the same page and the government enjoyed the unwavering support of the armed forces in government’s policies and decisions. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan was fully empowered to make policies and decisions of national interest.
He added the prime minister made decisions after a through discussions and taking the members of the cabinet into confidence. He said Pakistan’s economy was now improving.
Bukhari reiterated the government’s resolve to transform Pakistan into an economically strong country.
