News From : DagangHalal.com (25 Mar 2011)
By Masroor Afzal Pasha
KARACHI: A number of foreign investors have earmarked Pakistan as a suitable location in the region for establishing industries. Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said this while addressing the inaugural session of International Halal Conference organised by Sindh Board of Investment here on Tuesday.
Sindh province is blessed with a host of attractive business and investment opportunities, he pointed out.
He said we are aware that Pakistan is facing numerous challenges and one of the most important of these, is the need to put the country sincerely on the road to industrial progress, translating into socio-economic prosperity for 160 million people of the country.
Qaim said Pakistan’s strategic location makes it a convenient destination solution for setting up industrial units designed to serve the entire South Asian, Middle-Eastern and Central Asian regions.
In addition to a disciplined and skilled labour force, the country now has a growing infrastructure of commercial ports on the strategic Arabian sea coastline, a large network of civil airports and fast expanding road and rail links, he added. He said there is no dearth of resources and talent in our country, and all that is required is to pool these for the progress of our great nation.
He further said the time has come for the country to take full advantage of its strategic location and other plus points so that it can start playing its role as a hub of industrial activity that not only drives the national economy forward at a rapid pace but also serves the regional industrial needs. Qaim said the competitive advantage of Sindh rests on its strategic location, as major seaports, along with its extensive industrial infrastructure, 352 kilometres long coastline and the potential to generate renewable energy, abundant mineral resources, better educational system, a young and educated workforce and a politically strong and stable government.
Karachi has attraction for foreign investors and if we make efforts to create awareness of Halal sector’s potential investment will start coming. He stressed upon Sindh Board of Investment to pool all its resources to channelise investment in the right direction ensuring the provisioning of the required facilities to the entrepreneurs. He termed the International Halal Conference as a mega event in the history of Pakistan, which will certainly drive the national objective of rapid industrialisation forward and put Pakistan firmly on the road to true economic and industrial progress.
The board has been assigned the responsibility of promotion of investment in all sectors of economy, facilitation of local and foreign investors for speedy materialisation of their projects and enhancement of Sindh’s international competitiveness and contribution to economic and social development, as the board is ready to accept the multi-faced challenges and this conference is a manifestation of their will.
He also termed the conference as educative and informative, and congratulated the organisers.
Earlier, Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister for Investment Zubair Motiwala, Sindh Investment Secretary Younis Dagha and Halal Industries Development Corporation Malaysia Chief Executive officer Dato Sri Jamil Bedier in their speeches highlighted the objectives and efforts so far made for International Halal Conference.
Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk