Islamabad (Pakistan News) — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan is playing a full role in establishing peace in the region; however, the Gulf crisis has emerged at a difficult stage. He expressed hope that long-term peace in the region could be achieved with the cooperation of friendly and brotherly countries.
Delegations from the US Business Council for International Understanding and the US-Pakistan Business Council met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in New York. The delegations included business representatives associated with various sectors, including information technology, artificial intelligence, finance, beverages, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and organic products.
Shehbaz Sharif briefed the participants on government measures for the development of various sectors, including business- and investment-friendly policies. He said that both business councils were playing an important role as a bridge between Islamabad and Washington, while Pakistan-US relations had improved significantly over the past year.
The prime minister said that Pakistan’s economy had now stabilized and was moving toward growth, adding that long-term regional peace was extremely important for business and investment. He said that extensive structural and policy-level reforms were underway in Pakistan, while rapid progress was being made toward digitizing the economy and promoting technology and e-governance.
He said that there were extensive opportunities for investment in the agricultural sector. The use of artificial intelligence, modern technology, machinery and advanced agricultural equipment could help increase per-acre yields, reduce costs and improve efficiency. Mining and minerals were also important sectors for investment, he said, adding that Pakistan was rich in natural mineral resources.
Shehbaz Sharif said that the youth were a valuable asset of the country and were being connected with employment opportunities by providing them with technical training and various skills. Projects related to information technology and artificial intelligence were among the government’s priorities.
He said that there was also considerable scope for investment in the ports and shipping sectors, while privatization was among the government’s key priorities. PIA had been privatized, he said, adding that the new Pakistani owners would bring improvements to the institution.
The prime minister further said that power distribution companies were also being privatized. The government’s fundamental role was to facilitate business and investment for the private sector and create a conducive environment, he said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Special Assistants Tariq Fatemi and Bilal Bin Saqib, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Rizwan Ahmed Sheikh also attended the meeting.