DOHA: Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Tuesday said Pakistan could attract around $30 billion investment from the Islamic world by promoting ease of doing business.
Talking to media, Ashrafi who is on an official visit to Qatar these days, said Pakistan was focusing on trade and investment instead of loan or aid. He said the friendly countries such as; Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) were providing assistance to Pakistan in a bid to get rid of the prevailing economic crisis.
He said Pakistan was expecting $2 billion from Qatar in bilateral support to help ease the South Asian nation’s funding crunch and the consequent risk of a default adding it would also get $ one billion in oil financing from Saudi Arabia and a similar amount in investments from the UAE.
Ashrafi said it was a matter of pride for Pakistan that it would provide troops for security of the Federation Internationale de Football Association(FIFA) World Cup in Qatar later this year.
He made it clear that Pakistan-Qatar relations were between the two nations and countries so that the regime change or present political situation in Pakistan would not have any negative impact on their fraternal ties.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz’s visit to Qatar would impart a renewed impetus to deepening the cooperation between the two countries in diverse fields and further strengthen their growing economic partnership.
He said Qatar was home to more than 200,000 Pakistanis, who were contributing to the progress, prosperity and economic development of the two brotherly countries.
To a query, Ashrafi said ‘Pakistan Charter’ was need of the hour for economic stability of the country. It was the high time to avoid all differences and take part in nation-building activities across the board.
He said the matter of next general elections’ schedule could be sorted out through negotiation. Regarding flood situation in Pakistan, he said it was a test of the entire nation and asked the political and religious parties to come forward to help the flood victims.
