Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday met an 8-member delegation from the International Free Zones Authority (IFZA) of the United Arab Emirates and the Aleria Group here and witnessed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) exchanged between IFZA and the Board of Investment Pakistan for investment in existing Special Economic Zones (SEZs). The Prime Minister welcomed the delegation of the International Free Zones Authority of the United Arab Emirates that would invest in several projects in existing Special Economic Zones of Pakistan, a Prime Minister’s Office news release said. On the occasion, the prime minister said Pakistan and the UAE had long-standing brotherly relations spanning decades, whereas the country had vast investment opportunities in several sectors. “The government is taking steps on a priority basis to provide a business and investment-friendly environment in the country,” the prime minister said. The delegation praised Pakistan’s economic stability under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and expressed that Pakistan was emerging as the most suitable market for investment in the region. The delegation expressed keen interest in further increasing its investment footprint in Pakistan. The meeting was attended by IFZA Chairman Martin Gregers Pederson and Aleria Managing Partner Mana Ali Muhammad Hammad Al Shamsi, along with officials from Aleria and IFZA. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Privatization Abdul Aleem Khan, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi and relevant senior officials also participated in the meeting. Polio Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterating his government’s resolve to purge the country of polio virus, said that the downward trend in February this year evidenced the effectiveness of the polio vaccination drives in the country. The prime minister, chairing a meeting regarding the anti-polio vaccination drive, appreciated the administration of all provinces for their efforts to timely identify polio cases resulting into the gradual downward trend, according to a PM Office press release. He said that the cooperation between the federation and provinces was inevitable to completely eradicate the polio virus. Appreciating the cooperation by the security forces during the polio campaigns, he directed the digitization of polio data and strict monitoring. The participants of the meeting were informed that the anti-polio campaign was going on with full momentum in all provinces. It was told that in polio vaccination drive of February this year, 42.5 million children were administered polio drops and nearly 90% of the child population in polio-affected districts were vaccinated. The authorities informed that six polio cases have been reported so far this year. Since the launch of the February’s anti-polio campaign, a significant reduction in polio cases has been observed, particularly in polio-affected districts such as Balochistan, Sindh, and southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It was told that three polio campaigns during the first six months was part of the plan, of which the first one had been conducted in February, while the other two are scheduled for April and May. All aspects of the polio campaign are being continuously monitored through an IT dashboard. The meeting was attended by Minister of State Dr. Mukhtar Bharath, Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, and senior officials from relevant departments.