DUSHANBE: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday has said that the country will provide all means of help to foreign investors to create ease in doing business within the country.
The PM reached Tajikistan on a two-day visit, wherein he will attend the 20th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’sHeads of State Summit in Dushanbe, according to a tweet by the Prime Minister’s Office.
“The prime minister was received by Tajik Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda and was accorded a red carpet welcome at Dushanbe International Airport,” the tweet said.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is accompanying the premier on the visit.
After reaching Dushanbe, he tweeted: “Pleased to be in Tajikistan with PM Imran Khan for his third visit to Central Asia, underlining Pakistan’s enhanced engagement with the region.”
Shortly after arrival, the prime minister inaugurated the maiden meeting of the Pakistan-Tajikistan Business Forum, for which a group of Pakistani businessmen have also travelled to Tajikistan.
“I believe we have representatives of 67 Pakistani companies here in Dushanbe. They come from different fields, including textiles, pharmaceuticals, and logistics,” the premier said while addressing an event where businessmen from Pakistan and Tajikistan were in attendance, the premier said he wanted to speak to a joint gathering of businessmen from both countries.
The prime minister lamented that the cost of electricity was too high in Pakistan. “We want the KASA 1,000 energy project to be completed soon,” he said. “There are lots of opportunities related to the clean energy projects in Tajikistan.”
He extended an invitation to Tajikistan’s businessmen to invest in Pakistan, adding that the Pakistani government was creating opportunities and removing hurdles for its own business community as well.
“We will provide every help possible to investors in Pakistan,” said the prime minister.
He said Pakistan, with a population of 220m people, was a “huge market” for the Tajik business community and investors. Inviting them to Pakistan, he assured them of government facilitation to make the business activity easier.
The premier said that both countries would benefit from more trade.
He also praised Tajikistan’s cheap and clean energy, particularly hydroelectricity, saying: “Unfortunately we have very expensive electricity in Pakistan.”
The premier said work on the CASA-1000 power transmission line would be expedited so Pakistan too could benefit from “your clean and cheap energy [such as] hydroelectricity”.
On Afghanistan, the prime minister prayed for peace in the country, saying that it was “extremely important” for Pakistan-Tajikistan trade due to better connectivity.
