PM invites Turkish firms to expand investment in Pakistan during Istanbul meetings

ISTANBUL: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday invited Turkish companies to increase their investments in Pakistan across a wide range of sectors during meetings with senior executives of Turkiye’s leading business groups and industry organisations, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The PMO said the prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to expanding economic cooperation with Turkiye and attracting more Turkish investment in key areas of the economy. During the meetings, he highlighted the longstanding brotherly ties between the two countries and said their close relationship should be translated into stronger economic and investment links.

According to the PMO, Shehbaz pointed to Pakistan’s improving macroeconomic indicators and its investor-friendly policy framework, while stressing the government’s commitment to maintaining "a transparent, predictable and business-friendly investment environment". He also said the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), working with relevant federal and provincial authorities, continued to provide one-window facilitation and institutional support to strategic investors.

Meetings with business leaders

The prime minister met Çalık Holding Chairman Ahmet Çalık, Albayrak Group Chairman of the Board of Directors Ahmet Albayrak, and Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkiye (TOBB) President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, the PMO said.

In his meeting with Ahmet Çalık, Shehbaz highlighted opportunities in Pakistan’s energy, infrastructure, information technology and privatisation sectors. The PMO said he welcomed the company’s interest in broadening its operations in Pakistan. The prime minister said the group’s existing presence through Calık Enerji and GAP İnşaat offered a solid base for deeper cooperation.

During talks with the Albayrak Group, the prime minister encouraged the company to expand its role in maritime infrastructure, port modernisation and logistics. According to the PMO, he acknowledged the group’s contribution to Pakistan’s connectivity and infrastructure development and appreciated its longstanding engagement in the country.

In a separate meeting with TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Shehbaz praised the organisation’s efforts to strengthen business-to-business ties between Pakistan and Turkiye. The PMO said he proposed a structured institutional mechanism for regular interaction between the private sectors of both countries and invited TOBB to bring a high-level business delegation to Pakistan to examine emerging investment opportunities.

Investment focus and recent engagement

According to the PMO, the prime minister invited Turkish firms to expand their investment footprint in Pakistan’s priority sectors, including energy, mining and minerals, infrastructure, maritime and logistics, information technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, agriculture and privatisation.

The PMO said Turkish business leaders welcomed the Government of Pakistan’s economic reforms, improving investment climate and investor-friendly policies. They also expressed confidence in Pakistan’s economic outlook and reiterated their interest in expanding investments and building long-term partnerships in strategic sectors.

Prime Minister Shehbaz arrived in Istanbul on Friday on an official bilateral visit at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The visit was expected to include discussions on trade, investment and regional security. Before arriving in Turkiye, the prime minister had attended the funeral of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Last week, Pakistan and Turkiye also signed three memorandums of understanding in Istanbul aimed at strengthening institutional collaboration, technical cooperation and knowledge sharing in the power sector.