DUBAI: The election of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has had a very positive impact on investor confidence and is a major source of encouragement for foreign investors, this was stated by Adviser to President PML-N, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and former ambassador Javed Malik while speaking on the sidelines of the Pakistan-US Business conference.
Leading businessmen from Pakistan and United States took part in the two-day business conference organised by Pakistan and the United States. Business leaders from both countries engaged in discussions to identify key areas of cooperation in an effort to promote business, trade and commerce activity between Pakistan and United States, says a press release.
Commenting on the outcome of the conference, former ambassador Javed Malik, termed the conference “a major success” and said that it was able to generate a lot of positive goodwill between Pakistan and the United States and pave the way to enhance our trade relations.
He pointed out that although Pakistan and United States are working together in a number of areas but the spotlight remains on security cooperation, which is one component of a wide ranging engagement between the two countries. “Trade is a very significant aspect of our relations with United States and will be defining factor of our future relations. Although United States is already Pakistan’s major trading partner but observers on both sides are convinced that there is further scope to enhance the volume of bilateral trade by exploring new avenues as well as creating a better framework of increased cooperation.
Appreciating the timing of the conference Javed Malik said that the Pakistan-US Conference could not have happened at a more appropriate time, because a new democratic government under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has just taken office in Pakistan and the prime minister has clearly indicated his government’s priority in creating an investor friendly business environment that encourages foreign investors and facilitates them in every possibly way, and this has renewed investor confidence.
While underscoring the positive sentiment among the participants of the conference, Javed Malik said that “all the businessmen, and investors that I spoke to during the conference, were buoyant and positive about the new government and Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s election as Prime Minister has indeed given the much needed boost to investor confidence which would be instrumental in encouraging foreign investment into Pakistan.
To a question about whether the security situation in Pakistan would be a stumbling block in this context, Adviser Foreign Relations, Javed Malik said, “All seasoned and serious businessmen understand that every business has its challenges and opportunities, and while the security situation, which is limited to certain areas of Pakistan, may be seen as a challenge by some investors, there are many other investors who also understand that the opportunities in Pakistan are more than the challenges. This is evident from many success stories of foreign companies operating in Pakistan, including several US companies, that are actively engaged in business in Pakistan and not only running successfully but also making substantial profits and continue to expand their footprint”.
Addressing on the final day reception, Javed Malik, appreciated the hard work that was done by the officials from both Pakistan and US side who made this conference possible. He paid tribute to the presence of Minister of Finance, Senator Ishaq Dar, Minister of Water & Power Khawaja Asif, Minister for Petroleum, Shahid Abassi, and Minister of State Khurram Dastagir Khan and said that “the presence of four cabinet ministers at the conference is a clear indication of the importance Pakistan attaches to this conference and the strong commitment towards exploring new avenues to further boost the economic and trade relations between Pakistan and United States.
