ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that the business-friendly policies pursued by the incumbent government were coming to fruition.
The prime minister, talking to a delegation of international beverages companies which called on him here, said that the government was extending its maximum support to the foreign investors and business community to make them create employment opportunities, boost exports and contribute to the national economic development.
The delegation members appreciated the prime minister for his government’s pro-business policies.
They told him that 25 plants of international beverages firms were operating in Pakistan and had employed around 130,000 workers.
Apprising Shehbaz of their largest recycling system, the delegation said that the beverage firms were contributing to the national exchequer through huge amount of taxes.
Prime Minister Shehbaz urged the companies to play their productive role under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
He also instructed the relevant authorities to hold consultations on the companies’ proposals and resolve their issues at the earliest.
The delegation was led by Vice President of Coca Cola for Pakistan and Afghanistan Volkan Onguc and CEO of Pepsi Co Pakistan and Afghanistan Muhammad Khosa.
Federal ministers Jam Kamal Khan, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Abdul Aleem Khan and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.
Separately, a delegation of Chinese firm MCC Tongsin Resources led by Chairman Wang Jaichen called on the prime minister.
Inviting to invest in Pakistan’s mining sector and manufacturing of export goods, the prime minister assured the delegation that his government would extend all-out facilitation to the company from minerals exploration, and processing to the export of goods.
He instructed the relevant federal ministers and officers to continue consultation with the Chinese firm, taking the Balochistan chief minister, provincial departments and stakeholders onboard.
The delegation members reposed trust in the prime minister’s leadership and expressed keen interest in enhancing their investment in Pakistan’s mining and minerals sectors.
The company delegation briefed Shehbaz about construction of a mineral park in Pakistan and their future investment plans.
The prime minister welcomed the Chinese firm and highlighted the priority steps by his government to promote foreign investment in Pakistan.
He said that being a time-tested friend, China supported Pakistan in every difficult hour for which the Pakistani nation was grateful to Chinese leadership and people
Federal ministers Ahad Khan Cheema, Dr Musaddik Malik, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Jam Kamal Khan and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz, who is also Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) president, urged the PMLN’s AJK chapter to play its role in the progress and prosperity of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and strive for maximum public relief. Talking to a delegation of PMLN AJK chapter led by President Shah Ghulam Qadir, Shehbaz assured that as the hearts of Kashmiris and Pakistanis beat in unison, he couldn’t leave them in the lurch. The delegation members thanked the prime minister for the immediate resolution of the recently developed situation in the AJK, and lauded the steps taken by his government for economic revival and attracting foreign investment. He told the party members that Pakistan was playing its role in highlighting the Kashmir cause globally and reiterated the resolve for continued moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris. Discussing the PMLN affairs, he instructed the delegation to further activate the party in the AJK by enhancing public coordination.