PM invites Tajik investors to Pakistan

DUSHANBE: Prime Minister Imran Khan has invited the business community of Tajikistan to invest their capital in Pakistan, assuring them of all-out facilitation by his government.

Addressing the Pakistan-Tajikistan Joint Business Forum, the prime minister said his government was already on the course of incentivising and facilitating the business sector through various measures.

The prime minister is currently visiting Dushanbe on a two-day visit, mainly to attend the SCO Summit and is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including the representatives of 67 companies of multiple sectors from textiles, minerals, pharmaceuticals, logistics, to others.

The forum was organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. A total of 67 companies from Pakistan and more than 150 Tajik companies participated in the event.

A large number of B2B meetings were held among the companies, representing textiles, pharmaceuticals, leather, fruits and vegetables, processed food, transport and logistics, construction, education, tourism and mining.

Fifteen memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed for joint ventures and many orders were booked by the Pakistani exporters.

The prime minister, who was accompanied by Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, praised Tajikistan’s cheap and clean energy, particularly hydroelectricity, saying: “Unfortunately we have very expensive electricity in Pakistan.”

The premier said work on the CASA-1000 power transmission line would be expedited so that Pakistan can benefit from the clean energy.

He informed the Tajik businessmen that Pakistan was a 220 million nation and a huge market for investment and invited them to invest in Pakistan, assuring them all-out facilitation for the benefit of the two countries.

PM Khan said that the current Pakistan-Tajikistan trade was a miniscule and far below than the existing potential and the Tajik investors, as they come to Pakistan, would look at how the government was incentivising the business sector.

Regarding the situation in Afghanistan, he wished that peace was established in the country after 40 years of conflict. Peaceful Afghanistan would pave the way for regional connectivity, he added.

Khan said as he was scheduled to meet Tajik President Emomali Rahmon during the visit, they would discuss the ways and would do everything, especially for peace between Pashtun and Tajik ethnicities to ensure that there is an inclusive government in the war-torn country.

Pakistan will work together with Tajikistan and other neighbouring countries of Afghanistan to support the process of peace, progress and prosperity, he added.

Later, the prime minister along with his commerce adviser also responded to the questions from both Pakistani and Tajik businessmen.

The forum began with the welcoming remarks by Qodirzoda Sadi, chairman of the State Committee on Investments and State Property Management of the Republic of Tajikistan.

Addressing the event, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood said that the objective of Pakistan was regional connectivity and enhanced regional trade.

The visit of the president of Tajikistan to Pakistan in June this year, provided impetus to the historical ties between the two countries.

“We want to follow [the] examples of Asean and EU in enhancing intra-regional trade and connectivity,” he said, adding: “You trade through our seaports and we will trade through your land routes. There are [a] lot of challenges and it will take time, but we need to work together to overcome these problems. We want to have joint ventures in the textiles, pharmaceutical and logistics sectors.”

Dawood said, “[The] private sector is the engine of growth, the driver of growth. I want to tell the business community that we are here in Tajikistan to make it easy for you to enter Central Asian markets and we are exploring all the sectors.”

On the sidelines of the Business Forum, the fourth meeting of the Tajikistan-Pakistan Business Council was held.

The JBC meeting was co-chaired from the Tajikistan side by Akhunzadeh Jamshed, chairman of Tajikistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and from the Pakistani side by Zahid Shah, vice president of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

During the meeting, cooperation in textiles, pharmaceuticals and logistics sectors came under discussion.