PRESIDENT Dr Arif Alvi has urged the local and foreign investors to fully benefit from the improved ease of doing business in the country and utilize the opportunities being offered by Pakistan’s business and investment-friendly policies.
Addressing the 3rd Roundtable Conference titled “Pakistan Paradise for Investment and CPEC-2030” under the auspices of the daily Pakistan Observer, he made a special mention of transport infrastructure being developed in Pakistan under the CPEC initiative and said these will not only promote economic development in Pakistan but will also promote linkages of Pakistan and China with the world at large.
The President held out an assurance to the prospective investors that Pakistan’s economic policies would remain consistent and would not change with change of the government.
As was also highlighted by the President, Pakistan Observer organized a timely mega event to attract attention of the local and foreign entrepreneurs to the improved business and investment climate in Pakistan as structural reforms are underway, infrastructure is being upgraded and incentives are being offered to investors in all sectors of the national economy.
The moot assumed special significance as it was attended, among others, by prominent figures of the business and industry in Pakistan, representatives of the trade bodies and also foreign envoys and representatives of renowned foreign companies engaged in developmental activities in the country.
The RTC beamed out a clear message that Pakistan was really a ‘Paradise for Investment’ because of its liberal economic and fiscal policies, ease of doing business, availability of labour force at cheaper wages, improved connectivity, development of Gwadar and, above all, the enviable location of the country.
As Pakistan has huge potential to attract local and foreign investment provided this potential is marketed in an appropriate manner, the late Editor-in-Chief of Pakistan Observer Zahid Malik conceived the idea of holding a series of Roundtable Conferences (RTCs) to bring together all stakeholders and complement efforts of the government to project Pakistan’s investment friendly policies and initiatives.
These conferences were chaired and inaugurated by the then Presidents because of their relevance to the economy and President Arif Alvi upheld this tradition by inaugurating the third RTC on the subject.
In fact, Pakistan Observer has always been in the forefront of efforts to project and defend the core causes of the country in the realm of security, foreign affairs and economy.
In line with this policy, apart from RTCs on investment opportunities, it organized several moots on Islamic Banking and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The latest RTC on investment assumed special significance in the backdrop of hostile propaganda by some local and foreign forces against the gigantic project of CPEC.
Pakistan Observer always championed the cause of friendship with China and to help promote this noble objective, late Zahid Malik established a forum ‘101 Friends of China’ bringing together prominent personalities and experts from different walks of life to scuttle venomous propaganda against the CPEC and it continues its efforts to-date realizing that it is once in a century opportunity to address chronic economic problems of the country and to put it firmly on the path of development and economic prosperity.
Propaganda of vested interests notwithstanding, the fact remains that huge investment under CPEC is further reinvigorating various sectors of Pakistan’s economy, besides attracting investment from friendly countries in different sectors of the economy.
Gwadar has the potential to become a hub of regional trade and investment and in this backdrop, it is encouraging that Chinese are making substantial investment for all-round development of the port city.
What we, in fact, need is to expedite implementation of all CPEC projects clearing road-blocks in their way and hopefully this would be done before the proposed visit of Pakistan Prime Minister to China so that the visit opens up new vistas of cooperation under the framework of CPEC.
In this connection, the resolve expressed by Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong is reassuring who told the participants of the RTC that his country would continue its support to the CPEC projects to ensure that the development work on these projects is carried out with full potential adding that the cooperation between two countries is further being enhanced in the social sector, industry, culture and technology.
