MULTAN, Pakistan: The Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday said Pakistan was emerging as one of the best destinations for foreign direct investment due to prudent economic policies of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.
Addressing a ceremony after inaugurating ‘Coca Cola Multan Green Field’ plant, Dar said certain economists who were airing negative reports about Pakistan economy about two years ago, were now forecasting a larger economy in the making due to the financial discipline, maintained by the PML-N government.
He said Pakistan economy ratings were upgraded from C to B.
Ishaq Dar said Pakistan and Turkey enjoyed friendly relations and peoples of both countries were just like brothers.
He said investment by Coca Cola in Pakistan and their further investment plans would be beneficial for the investor.
He said economic policies of the government would result in five per cent growth by June 2016, the time when national budget for fiscal year 2016-17 would be announced.
The minister said the government took steps during the last 30-month tenure for well-being of the people and added that increasing job opportunities, reducing poverty, and high pace of development in the country, was their priorities.
Ishaq Dar said foreign investors were now showing interest in making investments in the country and added that he was foreseeing more investment into the 46 billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
The minister said the government was taking security challenges and energy crisis very seriously and was determined to root out terrorism from the country that will not only benefit Pakistan but the whole region.
Dar said the government would be able to meet energy requirements of the industry and the new investors by 2018.
The minister said he would try to address tax related problems of the business community in the upcoming budget.
Earlier, the chairman of a company, CCI, that runs Coca Cola Beverages, Tuncay Ozilhan said their decision of making investment in Pakistan was proving to be beneficial.
He said that an investment of 500 million dollar had been made while another 200 million dollar would be invested during next three years.
Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Sadik Babur Girgin said on the occasion that Turkish investment in beverages and other initiatives was cementing economic ties between the two friendly countries.
He said Pakistan and Turkey would sign a free trade agreement this year which will benefit both countries and their peoples.
Source: APP
