RIYADH – Prime Minister Imran Khan has admitted that the country was in dire need of loans to pull it out of the ongoing economic crises as Pakistan was facing trade deficit and current account deficit.
Addressing the investment conference in the capital of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the premier expressed that his regime was creating opportunities for investors in the country, highlighting that it was the best time for investors to explore the opportunities in Pakistan.
‘We will try to facilitate the investors through a one-window operation. Pakistan’s strength is overseas Pakistanis and we have to make conditions favourable for them to invest in the country,’ said the premier.
Imran Khan vowed to facilitate foreign investors and added that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) is already helping the country attract foreign investment.
The premier, who arrived in the Holy Kingdom on Monday, continued that he was expecting investment in the Naya Pakistan Housing programme in which 5 million homes would be built during the next five years.
Imran Khan outlined that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was the stepping stone to success adding that China was the best market available to Pakistan.
PM Khan said he has asked the Chinese government to help Pakistan in eliminating corruption and ending poverty.
‘China in the past five years has really clamped down on corruption, we have corruption so we are going to look for ways because white collar crime is very hard to convict,’ he said.
The premier expressed that the way in which Chinese have brought this huge amount of people out of poverty was remarkable so Islamabad was seeking support in this area.
Imran Khan continued that his regime was working hard to explore the IT sector as exports could be enhanced in this sector adding that there were vast amounts of mineral wealth in Pakistan; he said tourism is also a vital sector and has flourished in recent years.
‘We have hardly had any investment in our mineral resources and one of the reasons as I said in the last 15 years was the war on terror,’ he observed.
The prime minister claimed that with the efforts of security forces and intelligence agencies, Pakistan has brought terrorism under control.
‘We also had very poor governance and corruption. Pakistan suffered a lot from terrorism post-9/11,’ he expressed.
PM Khan outlined that what Pakistan needs most right now is peace and stability, saying one of the reasons Pakistan is at this stage is because of instability and war.
Imran Khan clarified that next five to six months would be tough for the country owing to the faltering economy.
Revealing the challenges face by the country, Khan said Pakistan has 100 million people below the age of and there is a big pressure on the government to find employment for this population.
He remarked that poverty and corruption were the core issued faced by the country, highlighting that the difference between underdeveloped and developing countries comes squarely down to corruption.
Regarding the measures his government is taking for the empowerment of women, PM Imran said women can only be empowered if you educate them.
‘When we were in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, we decided that for every 100 colleges built 70 would be for women,’ he asserted.
The prime minister said that Pakistan’s relations with its neighbours, especially Afghanistan and India, are crucial but expressed disappointment that New Delhi did not reciprocate reconciliation.
‘What we need is stability, and stability means peace with all the neighbours. Our problems right now are with Afghanistan and India. But I am afraid we got no response from India. In fact we got rebuffed by India,’ Khan decried.
The prime minister had travelled to Saudi Arabia on Monday to attend the conference on the special invitation of King Salman Bin Abdel Aziz.
The premier is accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Industry Abdul Razzak Dawood.
