AUSTIN: Texas and Pakistan would explore close cooperation in the areas of petroleum, agriculture, livestock, green energy, climate, tech sector, genetic engineering and semi-conductors. The scope of such cooperation was discussed when Ambassador Masood Khan met the Governor of Texas at his stately Capitol office in Austin. The Governor graciously received the Pakistani Ambassador and showed immense friendliness towards people of Pakistan. Ambassador Masood Khan invited the Governor to visit Pakistan to promote trade and investment between Texas and Pakistan and to enhance people to people exchanges. The Governor accepted the invitation in principle and said he would explore such a visit at an appropriate time. “The 150,000 strong Pakistani diaspora community in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and St Antonio was an asset for Pakistan and the United States as it is building bridges between the two nations”, Masood Khan said. Paying tribute to the successes achieved by the Texas under the leadership of two term Governor Mr. Greg Abbott, Ambassador Masood Khan said that Pakistan was ready to host Texan investments in semi-conductors, agriculture, health care and the tech sectors. Masood Khan identified another area of linkages between agriculture universities of Texas and Pakistan for research on hybrid seeds to increase agriculture yields. “Pakistan’s regulatory environment is hospitable for US companies to start businesses in diverse areas. We are keen to partner with enterprises in Texas”, he said and added that Pakistan had become safe and secure for Foreign Direct Investment. The existing Houston-Karachi Sister City Association connects corporate leaders of the two metropolises. The Ambassador briefed the Texas Governor about the extraordinary success in tech startups in Pakistan in the recent past. Texas commonly known as the Lone Star State, is fast becoming United States’ top most cyberstate. Masood Khan said that Pakistan a country of 220 million people with a growing middle class was unleashing entrepreneurship and innovation, through a business-friendly regulatory climate. “Pakistan has the necessary manufacturing infrastructure and growing human capital”, he said. The Ambassador said that corporate leaders in businesses could engage to develop agenda for economic collaboration before a high-level visit from Texas during which decisions could be made to launch joint ventures.