German envoy says Lufthansa plans to resume Pakistan flights

Ag AFP

ISLAMABAD: German carrier Lufthansa is planning to resume weekly pessanger flights to Pakistan after a 13-year absence, an envoy said on Wednesday.

Bernhard Stephan Schlagheck, German ambassador to Pakistan said a delegation of German businessmen is set to visit Pakistan in the following week to explore investment opportunities.

"Lufthansa is also a part of the delegation and is keen on starting operations in Pakistan," Schlagheck told Fareena Mazhar secretary Board of Investment (BOI) at a meeting.

German envoy said the business delegation would be visiting Karachi and Islamabad and would be interacting with investors from the private sector and high level government representatives.

Secretary Mazhar termed the forthcoming visit of the German delegation to Pakistan a very positive sign for the country's economy.

She said a senior level meeting with Siemens Global CFO to discuss their future plans will pave the way for Siemens establishing itself further in Pakistan.

The secretary while highlighting the various opportunities in Pakistan said that regulatory reform is a priority area for the incumbent government and investor facilitation is being paid special attention.

She apprised the ambassador on the ten year tax exemption introduced in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and the landmark one window operation that is set to be launched end of November this year.

“I’m confident with the way things are going and I’m positive that the numbers will increase” the secretary said while talking about Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Pakistan.

She also added that a jump of 15-20 positions is expected in Pakistan’s Ease of Doing Business (EODB) ranking in the State Bank’s next DB report.

The secretary further said that Pakistan’s business climate at the moment is very conducive and the government has been introducing reforms to encourage foreign investment from all over the world.

She mentioned that business giants like Samsung and Uniqlo are about to start their operations in Pakistan and assured that the Board of Investment, being the premier investment promotion and facilitation organization will facilitate German investors at every step of the way.