Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan has reached out to global investors that it is high time they should invest in Pakistan due to relaxed visa regime and openness for ease of doing business. He was addressing a gathering at the 7th edition of World Government Summit here about his government’s reforms agenda.

“This is the time – my last word to the investors- this is the time to come to Pakistan when it is just going on the upswing. This is the time to invest in the country and don’t miss the boat,” he said in his keynote address.

During his address, the PM wandered back into Pakistan’s nostalgic history and claimed that the country was the fastest growing nation in Asia with excellent governance system and bureaucracy in the 60’s. However, he informed the future investors that meritocracy lost the space to corruption, as he tried to convince investors to invest, in his signature baffling manner.

Once again using his cricket examples, Imran Khan said he had seen scores of players with great talent but they never made it big for being scared of loss and did not take risks. Eventually, the ones, who took both chances and risks, were the ones who made it big, he claimed.

The prime minister told the audience that three factors, including the cricket, experiences during the treatment of his cancer-patient mother, and witnessing the journey of development by other states compelled him to come into politics.

The prime minster said that Pakistan’s time to take-off was now, highlighting his government’s measures to tackle fiscal deficit by increasing the exports and attracting the investment. He said the government had opened up the market to investors and allowed them to make money that would ultimately bring the people out of poverty. He said the government was bringing serious reforms to bring ease of doing business, besides introducing tax reforms.

Citing the immense tourism potential in Pakistan, the prime minister said his country was home to one of the best mountains, half of the world’s highest peaks, 1000 kilometers long coast line, the oldest civilizations and the oldest living cities. Besides, Pakistan also had huge potential of religious tourism as it was home to the worship places of Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhism. “For Sufism, we have the highest number of Sufi shrines,” he added.

He censured the bureaucratic mindset in the past for disallowing the investors to make money as a socialist mindset pervaded the country. Now the government was allowing the investors to make money because it would ultimately reduce the poverty level in the country, he informed the gathering at the summit.

The summit has attracted the global policy makers from government and private sectors which includes 4,000 decision-makers from 140 countries, including heads of state, ministers and business leaders, gathered at the international event to help shape the future of the planet. The theme of the summit is ‘shaping the future of governments’.

The Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum have invited Pakistani premier on the visit.

Published in Daily Times, February 11^th 2019.