KARACHI: Governor Sindh Mohammad Zubair said on Monday that Pakistan’s contribution to war against terror has resulted in making the world more safer and peaceful place to live and hence, its sacrifices must be appreciated more especially by the western countries.
This he said while talking to the newly appointed Consul General of Italy Ms Anna Ruffino, who called on him at the Governor’s House. Matters relating to bilateral trade, Pakistan’s role in war against terror, conducive atmosphere of investment, further expansion of cooperation in various sectors and other topics of mutual interest were discussed during the meeting.
The Sindh governor said that precious lives of personnel of Pakistani forces and civilian were lost during this war, but for the sake of world peace, Pakistan led from the front which also resulted in heavy financial burden and millions of refugees and IDPs. He said that when the present government took power in 2013, entire country was facing the enormous challenges of law & order and energy. These two problems were so severe that they challenged the very fabric of the nation and were existential threat to the Country, he added.
Zubair said that during last 4.5 years due to strenuous efforts of law enforcement agencies and political will of the government, both sectors had improved enormously. Law & order is far better as compared to 2013 while energy crisis is over and by the end of this fiscal year surplus electricity would be available in the national grid, he opined.
The Sindh governor Sindh said that after fixing above problems, the government was attaching top priority towards ensuring conducive atmosphere for investment. Karachi being the economic hub of the country, has the potential, required human resource and other facilities needed for investment. Foreign as well as local investors are being encouraged to invest in sectors of their choice and preference, he added.
He said that special emphasis was being laid on improvement of infrastructure facilities in industrial areas. Rs. 25 billion Karachi package includes industrial infrastructure focused projects so as to ensure accelerated pace of industrialization, he added. While highlighting the importance of CPEC, the governor said there was no precedent in the world of such a huge investment by any country. It is a game changer in real sense which will not only ensure savings to China but would transform Pakistan’s economy to a great extent, he observed.
He asked Italian investors to take advantage of favourable investment opportunities and invest in various sectors for expanding trade ties between the two countries.
Ms. Anna, while lauding the role of Pakistan in world peace said that we are thankful to Pakistan for its enormous contribution in war against terror. She appreciated the improvement in law & order in Karachi and said that she would approach and encourage Italian investors to invest in the province. She hoped to work closely with all the stakeholders for ensuring maximum benefits to the people of the province, during her stay in Karachi.