Pakistan safe for investment: German business executive says West’s fears unfounded

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Jawwad Rizvi
AT a time when Pakistani industrialists and businessmen are shifting their businesses out of the country citing ‘non-conducive environment’ as a reason, a German company has landed here with its expertise to launch a joint venture with a local manufacture.

Finding Pakistan safe for investment and ignoring the security problems presented by the Western media, Rene Pieter Bulthuis, managing director of the Feintechink, a German razorblade manufacturing company doing business in four European countries, has arrived in the city despite the instructions against going to the country, insecure for foreigners.

Pieter Bulthuis came here with a strong belief and matured a successful business deal with one of the country’s largest razorblade manufacturer. Talking to The News before leaving Pakistan for his home on Sunday, Pieter Bulthuis revealed the facts about his successful tour, saying when he discussed his plan of visiting Pakistan with his friends, they tried to stop him.

“But after visiting the country, I have reached to the conclusion that there is no security problem as portrayed by the Western media,” he said, adding that the country was completely different from what he read in newspapers in Germany.

“I suggest every friend of mine to must visit Pakistan to explore the opportunity in this country,” he maintained. During his four-day-stay in the provincial metropolis, famous for its cultural heritage, Pieter Bulthuis spent one of the best times of his life and planned to come again for a longer stay. Sharing the experience of his short stay in the provincial metropolis, he used a Punjabi proverb about the city ‘Jaine Lahore nahi takya, jamya nai’ and said that after visiting different localities, he found the proverb was right and he was feeling a sort of rebirth. Pieter Bulthuis said the city was a pleasant blend of different cultural heritages, adding that he liked Anarkali Bazaar, Badshahi Mosque and Fortress Stadium a lot.

The good thing about the city was that the tourists could easily move around here without the help of any guide, he said, comparing his experience in other cities of the world, including Egypt, Istanbul and Moscow. He said Pakistanis were the most hospitable people as the guides and shopkeepers didn’t force the tourists to take their services or buy their product, adding that food was very delicious and Lahorites were very keen of eating delicious food. Appreciating Pakistani bazaars, he said that Anarkali bazaar was a typical Pakistani bazaar, which one could not find in any other part of the country while Fortress Stadium was a display of modern architecture with a touch of traditional Pakistani culture. Pieter Bulthuis was of the view that Pakistan could attract more tourists by promoting its rich cultural heritage, which had a touch of modern technology along with the Mughal architecture.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=143590