Overseas Pakistanis to invest $ 3.5 Bln in Projects
Pakistan Times National News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis Ghulam Sarwar Khan Wednesday said more than 250 overseas Pakistanis have shown interest in investing over $ 3.5 billion in health, education, agri business and information technology projects.

The Minister said the overseas investors will take part in an Overseas Pakistanis Investment Conference being held next month to interact with local entrepreneurs and government officials to collaborate on these projects.

The Investment Conference will be held in Islamabad on March 5-6.

He said so far, 257 Overseas Pakistanis expressed their interest to invest over $ 3.5 billion including 36 businessmen from Saudi Arabia with $ 300 million investment, 55 from US with $ 1129 million, 38 from UK with $ 935 million and 18 from UAE with $ 84 million.

Ghulam Sarwar said overseas Pakistanis are eager to invest their hard earned wealth in their country. They know local conditions and can adapt to it and can face problems better, he added.

He said the provincial and federal government departments will set up stalls in the conference and provide information to overseas investors about their areas of interest.

The officials will inform the participants about the prevailing business laws and economic reforms initiated by the government in the last seven years, he added.

The Minister said the parliament has passed legislation against land grabbers which will protect investment of overseas Pakistanis in real estate.

He assured the government will take strict action against those harming the investment climate in the country.

The government will facilitate the overseas investors in investing and encourage them to take up more local projects, he added.

The major areas of their investment were real estate, construction of housing colonies and plazas, health, education and agri business.

Professionals including doctors and engineers based in United States have shown interest in the health, education and industrial projects, he said.

Ghulam Sarwar Khan said the infrastructure in Sundar and Burhan industrial estates offer attractive opportunities to investors.●