Monitoring Desk: “Instant approvals through the single window interface (Special Investment Facilitation Council) are only possible when all stakeholders– including law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies– are at one table to mitigate the infamous red-tapism that hampers and discourages foreign investments in Pakistan”.
This was observed by foreign affair expert Shazia Anwer Cheema in her article titled “Finally, a single window interface in Pakistan for GCC investors” published in Arab News.
She wrote the structure of SIFC and its committees are under discussion in Pakistan due to the heavy presence of military men at operational positions of SIFC and civil bureaucracy does not look comfortable with this arrangement and bureaucratic circles are promoting the idea that the direct involvement of military personal in foreign investment initiatives is an act of no confidence towards the civil bureaucracy as well as the civilian government. “Nevertheless, if one goes through the history of strategic and important foreign investments that came to Pakistan from GCC countries, one can find the answer to why Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has included military personnel in the hierarchy of this important and very timely initiative”, she added.
She further added that contacts in the Planning Division in Islamabad confirm that idea of SIFC came from COAS Gen Asim Munir during the last meeting of the National Security Committee where he elucidated his vision for inviting foreign investments from friendly countries, particularly from GCC countries but after fixing administrative issues that foreign investors faced when they came in Pakistan. The writer said that his idea was endorsed by PM Shehbaz Sharif.
It is pertinent to mention that the process of security clearances of foreign companies is directly related to the intelligence networking of the state and the presence of the military in the body will help smoothen the process of work-related permissions/approvals where security clearances are involved. Moreover, Pakistan is inviting investments in key sectors of defense production, mineral exploration, and mining, that are directly linked with “work approvals” in sensitive and remote areas of KPK, Punjab, and Balochistan, therefore, the presence of military men would help to smooth the process at approval as well as execution level for foreign investors.
The writer cited the example of UAE-based Etisalat which had been facing problems in the last 15 years and still several properties of PTCL had not been transferred to Etisalat due to the indifferent behavior of civil bureaucracy.
The original article at Arab News can be read to click this link
