President invites private sector investment in mega projects

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday invited the country's leading business houses to join the government in investing in infrastructure projects on build, operate and own (BOO) basis and offered to hold road shows for the major projects including Pakistan-Turkey railway line, Zulfikarabad city project in Thatta, Gorakh Hill station in Dadu, the LNG projects and new highways, and bridges in different parts of the country.

The President made this offer when leading members of the business community of Karachi representing the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and the Karachi Stock Exchange called on him at Bilawal House Karachi. The meeting was also attended by provincial Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, provincial ministers and senior federal and provincial officials.

Briefing the media persons spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that the meeting was part of the interactive sessions the President has been regularly holding with private entrepreneurs in search of solution to the country's economic woes.Issues ranging from reconstruction of flood areas to inflation and from engaging private entrepreneurs in mega development project to raising equity from stock markets for infrastructure projects were discussed in the meeting, he said.

Those who attended the meeting included among others Aqeel Karim Dehdy, Arif Habib, Nasir Ali Shah Bokhari, Jawad Anjum and Zakaria Usman. "Seldom before the imagination of businessmen and entrepreneurs have been fired and seldom before their ingenuity challenged as seriously as now to find doable solutions to the economic problems of the country", the President said and urged the business community to propose out of the box and innovative solution to the problems.