Pakistan’s southeastern Sindh Province boasts vast investment opportunities, particularly in energy, infrastructure development, education, health, agriculture and in various other sectors.
This was stated by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah while addressing the Iran-Pakistan Business Forum on Tuesday, Pakistani newspaper The Nation reported.
The program was attended by a large number of Iranian businessmen led by Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
The chief minister said Zarif was leading a high-level delegation of Iranian businessmen to explore investment opportunities in Sindh and boost trade between the two countries.
“His personal interest, experience and stature would definitely make difference in his endeavors,” he said.
“We [the Sindh government] have introduced Public Private Partnership concept that is producing best results.”
Shah added that some of the projects launched under the PPP mode were Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas Road, Jhirk-Mulakatiar Bridge on River Indus among many others.
The chief minister said new projects being launched under the PPP mode is Kandhkot-Ghotki Bridge on River Indus. He added that trade between the two countries showed a 33% growth compared to the previous year.
“In the last nine months, as a result of the facilities provided by the Iranian side to Pakistani rice exporters, the volume of Pakistani rice export to Iran has jumped by 42%,” he said.
“In Sindh, Sukkur and Larkana divisions are rice producing divisions, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad and Shaheed Benazirabad division are rich in mango production, Larkana has guava,” he added, calling for investment in the agriculture sector.
Bilateral banking ties between the two countries are developing.
“I know the process is very slow but hope it would be done. Banking relations are necessary to expand bilateral trade that currently stands at $1.2 billion. The target is to increase it to $5 billion per annum over the next few years,” Shah said.
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