If Pakistan prospers, so will you, PM tells investors

• Sharif says Pakistan offers vast avenues for long-term investment, believes in no-holds-barred foreign investment regime
• Condemns politics of sit-ins, tells opponents to let govt resolve public issues

Enticing local and foreign investors to put their faith in the country’s economy in the shape of long-term investments, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Monday said that Pakistan offers avenues for investment in its vast reservoir of diverse agricultural, industrial, services, natural and mineral resource portfolios located in accessible contiguous areas – a prospect that promises to be no less than ideal.

While addressing the first International Investors Conference, the premier said, “Our economic policy has been instrumental in throwing open doors laden with vast opportunities for prospective investors to reap benefits of this belated drive to make up for the lost time.”

“In a future not too distant, we could find ourselves proudly claiming that we all lent a hand in enabling Pakistan to prosper,” the prime minister proudly said, further articulating that Pakistan encouraged investment not only as a tool of economic development but also as friendly long-term cooperation.

“Pakistan is a demographically vibrant country with an estimated 9th largest available work force. Its estimated 110 million working population constitutes 60 percent of the total population, making Pakistan rich in terms of human resource particularly when majority of it comprises of youth,” the prime minister elaborated to attract local and foreign investors.

The premier said that the government was planning privatizing power distribution network along with rationalization of tariff that will make investment in power sector very attractive.

Sharif said that his government believed in no-holds-barred foreign investment regime and he has mandated Board of Investment (BoI) as the high-level one-window agency empowered to facilitate investors in planning and implementing their ventures.

Moreover, Sharif pointed out that the gradual but steady escalation in the Baseline Profitability Index (BPI) strongly signified Pakistan as an attractive investment proposition, including a long-term business association. Stringent monitoring of vital ingredients required for realising higher rates of return on investment such as stable economic growth, capital controls and exchange rates were visibly showing healthy upward trends.

“We are very transparently disposing off partial equity in large scale public sector enterprises, the latest being that of Oil and Gas Development Corporation as well as of Pakistan Petroleum Limited. We have taken similar steps about the largest banking house, Habib Bank Limited along with large high street banking concerns, United Bank Limited and Allied Bank Limited,” he said, inviting the investors to participate in this initiative and discover for themselves the financial feasibility and productivity of investing in Pakistan.

PM CONDEMNS POLITICS OF SIT-INS:

Later on, during an informal talk with journalists in the capital city, the premier condemned the politics of sit-ins saying that priority should be given to public issues including poverty, unemployment and terrorism.

“The sit-ins of a political party in Islamabad would ultimately fizzle out and the country, with the government’s efforts, would continue to make progress,” the premier said, adding that those trying to impede the process of development should reconsider their plans.

“It appears as if they have no interest in the prosperity of the country. The game being played by them is highly inappropriate,” he added.

“Let the government fulfil its efforts to overcome the challenges of poverty, terrorism and unemployment. Sit-ins will not deter the government’s commitment to serve the masses,” he reiterated.

Sharif mentioned the postponement of the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping due to sit-ins in the capital. “Had there been mature politics in Pakistan, our great friend would not have postponed his visit,” he said.