Foreign investors’ security perception improved: OICCI

KARACHI: Perception of foreign investors about security environment in Pakistan has improved as a higher number of international business visitors travelled to the country in the past one year, said a survey on Monday. 

Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI), in annual security survey 2017 conducted in June, said an overwhelming 62 percent respondents reported substantial increase in the number of overseas visitors to Pakistan as compared to the last year.

Most of the business-related meetings are now being held within Pakistan. Prior to August 2013, many of them were conducted in other countries due to security challenges in the country, the survey found. There is a positive movement in the OICCI members’ perception of the country’s security environment.

“2017 survey once again re-affirms that threats and security concerns have substantially reduced in Pakistan for all key stakeholders of businesses, including OICCI members,” OICCI President Khalid Mansoor said in a statement. 

OICCI has been conducting comprehensive security survey every year since 2015. It reflects the foreign investors’ perception on the security environment in the country. “Overall, OICCI 2017 security survey feedback points to a clear appreciation by the foreign investors of the initiatives of the government in proactively tackling the security, law and order challenges which had serious repercussions on the image of the country as a safe destination for FDI (foreign direct investment),” Mansoor added.

The survey said foreign businessmen are being granted travel permissions for their visit to Pakistan from their respective embassies and travel security agencies.  The highest number of foreign visitors were from European countries, including UK, followed closely by visitors from Middle East, China, Singapore, USA and Japan, 

The survey’s respondents experienced a reduction in the overall street crimes with a 69 percent fall in petty crimes and 90 percent decrease in the high-intensity street crimes.

They saw significant improvement in confidence and comfort of their staff on security matters, which had further gone up after 86 percent increase reported in the previous survey. The staff now feels even more comfortable in their everyday commute to and from the workplace, they said. 

On serious crimes like abduction, hostage taking and ransom demand, respondents reported major reduction in 2017 as compared to 2016 – highest 94 percent in Lahore, closely followed by rest of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 92 percent in Karachi.