ISLAMABAD, Mar 4 (APP):President Dr Arif Alvi Monday said that Pakistan had showed to the world that it was a peace-loving country despite being pushed towards the course of confrontation during last few weeks.
Addressing the ‘Annual Ambassadors’ Dinner’ hosted by Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), the president said Pakistan had long ago learnt the lessons what the world was learning now.
He said the Pakistan Army and the people had sacrificed a lot during war against terrorism and the country realized that it had damaged the society.
The reception was attended by Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdur Razak Dawood, Dean Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador of Turkmenistan Atadjan Movlamov and a huge number of diplomats from various countries and businessmen.
Highlighting the immense potential of trade and investment in the country, he said Pakistan had ensured a secure and friendly atmosphere for the investors.
He requested the diplomats to go to their countries to lure their investors to Pakistan citing its attractive geo-strategic location, business friendly polices and potential for tourism industry.
He said Pakistan could become part of the fourth industrial revolution as investment opportunities were on the boom in the country.
He said Saudi Arabia was highly excited to invest in Pakistan and after signing agreements worth $ 20 billion, Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman had said that it was just a first phase and his country would go for second stage soon.
The president said it was high time the investors made their investment profitable.
He said the incumbent government had won the election on the anti-corruption slogan that would also boost the investors’ confidence who would repose trust in the government’s policies. He told the gathering that Pakistan was on the course to purge the society of corruption.
He advised the diplomats to visit the picturesque Northern Areas of the country to realize its potential in the tourism industry as trade and tourism always went along.
He said Pakistan was the land of opportunities and the government was striving to ensure the export-led growth of the national economy.
Advisor Abdur Razzak Dawood gave the audience a comprehensive outlook of the national economy and said the country had got encouraging response from different countries including China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Malaysia, EU and Japan regarding investment.
He said Pakistan was focusing the African market of one billion people and was also engaged with the International Monetary Fund.
He said the country’s exports were growing by 3-4 percent and imports were on decline by around a billion dollar monthly.
The advisor said the government would be able to meet all the challenges and the country would soon move on the path of growth.
Dean Diplomatic Corps said LCCI was one of the best chambers, not only in Pakistan but in SAARC region that had established its regular interaction with the diplomatic community.
He said Pakistan could become a junction of South Asia, West Asia and Central Asia and a route of transportation.
President LCCI said under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the entire system of governance was being revamped and Pakistan’s economy was well on the way to recover from transitory hiccups.
He hoped that the government would soon succeed in transforming the economy from consumption led growth to investment and export led growth.
He said it was high time that Pakistan should be projected in international market for its engineering sector.
VNS, Islamabad
