KARACHI – Were the government to make concerted efforts to create awareness about the potential in the Halal foods sector, investment will start flowing, said Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Qaim Ali Shah at the inaugural ceremony of the International Halal Conference, organised by the Sindh Board of Investment, that kicked off on Tuesday.
Shah said that it is heart-warming that a number of foreign investors have earmarked Pakistan as a suitable location in the region for establishing industries. He said that Pakistan’s strategic location makes it a convenient destination for setting up industrial units designed to serve the entire South Asian, Middle Eastern and Central Asian region.
In addition to a disciplined and skilled labour force, the country now has a growing infrastructure of commercial ports, a large network of civil airports and a fast expanding road and rail network, he added. The CM further maintained that the time has come for the country to take full advantage of its strategic location and other plus points so that it can start playing its role as a hub of industrial activity, that not only drives the national economy forward at a rapid pace and also serve the regional industrial needs.
He also urged the Sindh Board of Investment to pool all its resources to channel investment in the right direction and ensure the provision of the required facilities to entrepreneurs. Shah said the Board has been assigned the responsibility of promoting investment in all sectors of the economy, facilitation of local and foreign investors for speedy materialising of their projects, and enhancement of Sindh’s international competitiveness and contribution to economic and social development.
Earlier, Adviser to CM for Investment Zubair Motiwala, Investment Secretary Younis Dagha, and Halal Industries Development Corporation Malaysia CEO Dato Sri Jamil Bedier in their speeches highlighted the aims and objectives of the conference.
The speakers said that 70 percent of Halal markets are run by non-Muslims – mainly in Brazil, Argentina, Thailand, Japan and China. In the United States, Muslims spend 16 billion dollars annually on buying Halal products. The conference was largely attended by local and foreign intending investors, industrialists and businessmen.
