Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has invited US entrepreneurs to invest in Pakistan and take benefits of his government’s liberal policies which provide lucrative incentives to the foreign investors. According to him, three factors make Pakistan the most attractive investment destination all over the world as it offers perfect land, ideal geographical location and highly skilled and educated workforce. Addressing a function organized by the United States-Pakistan Business Council, the prime minister said that Pakistan has introduced one of the most attractive investment regimes in the world, which allows the foreign investors to repatriate 100 percent profits as well as a facility to convert local currency into the foreign exchange.
As a matter of fact, the bumpy road of relations between Pakistan and the United States has seen many ups and downs for the last several decades. Despite the fact that most of the time the relations remained under the spell of a trust deficit, Pakistan has rendered tremendous sacrifices in the so-called war on terror. Thousands of people have been killed and the losses incurred by the country in terms of business, trade and investment were to the tune of billions of dollars. Now the prime minister is again visiting the United States and offering numerous investment opportunities to the US entrepreneurs in Pakistan’s energy, consumer goods, food and agriculture, housing and Infrastructure sectors. The economic ties are the base to strengthen political ties and it can be made possible only when trade between the two countries is enhanced and Pakistani products are given access to the US markets. After the army campaign against terrorists, the security situation in the country has been improved as the government is taking on all hues of terrorists. The prime minister also mentioned that the current year witnessed the lowest number of terrorist attacks since 2007 and positive results of the army operation are visible. The army is already working on a comprehensive strategy, involving targeted military operations against terrorists.
Pakistan has now acquired a better position in the world business indexes due to positive assessments of the international rating agencies about the country’s economy. The per capita income of the country has increased by 12 percent, fiscal deficit has been lowered, revenue collections are increased, foreign exchanges reserves have risen above $20 billion and inflation is at the lowest ebb. A strong middle class is emerging in Pakistan, giving impetus to the sale of consumer goods and auto sale. The big task before the prime minster is to convince the US government and private investors to appreciate current situation in Pakistan.
