Govt to provide safe investment schemes for expats: Fawad

Minister says PM changed direction of economy; put it on the path to developmentStresses friendly relations between India and Pakistan will benefit both

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Saturday that Pakistan would soon launch dedicated property projects for overseas Pakistanis to provide them investment opportunities with peace of mind.

“Overseas Pakistanis stand behind Pakistan to make it economically strong and the Prime Minister Imran Khan promises to stand by them as he has done, which no other prime minister could have even thought of doing for Pakistanis living abroad,” he said in an exclusive interview with Dubai-based Gulf News.

“We are bringing a completely new concept of ‘overseas Pakistanis investment’ in Pakistan to keep them safe from any ‘fake’ or fraudulent real estate schemes. We have already acquired land in Islamabad and are in the process of getting more land in Karachi, Lahore and other major cities for Pakistanis living abroad. The prime minister will soon unveil new dedicated investment schemes for Pakistanis living abroad,” the minister said.

He said that the prime minister has given clear instructions to all the diplomats in Pakistan missions abroad that they would remain on jobs only if overseas Pakistanis were satisfied with their work.

To a question, he said the price hike was a concern for some segments of society in Pakistan, but it was an international problem now as every country was facing the heat of price hike since COVID-19 hit the world. While the global economy is still under a lot of strain, he maintained that Pakistan has done well as its economy saw a 5.3 per cent growth last year which was an important landmark achieved on the economic front.

The minister said that PM Imran will soon visit the UAE, though the dates have not yet been confirmed. He said UAE was the second home for Pakistanis and PM Imran had many friends here. His visit will help grow the economic relations between the two countries, he added.

He said tourism was one of the top agenda items of development for the prime minister. After the unfortunate incident of Murree, he said the government was working on a comprehensive plan to avoid any such incidents in the future.

He said due to its solid foreign policy, Pakistan was playing a greater role in world affairs. “Pakistan has regained ‘respect’ at the international level due to the prime minister’s stance on international policies,” he remarked.

“Even with regards to India, we have a very clear policy that we want a good relationship with New Delhi as people from across the border also want the same,” he said. Pakistan wanted to be a trade partner with India as both countries can benefit from this.

He called for work on the long-pending project of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, as it would help resolve energy crises in both countries. He said that the Taliban government had already endorsed the project and Pakistan was ready to extend this gas pipeline to India. “Our friendly relations with India can be a game-changer in the region”, he said.

About Afghanistan, he said the neighbouring country was in shambles as global aid agencies have predicted that the humanitarian crisis was getting worse in the country. He urged the countries around the world to work together to resolve this issue.

“We have also asked the Taliban to have an inclusive government representing all segments of society. We have asked them to include Uzbek and Tajik communities in their government to ensure smooth sailing,” the minister said.

Earlier, Fawad, while addressing the inaugural ceremony of screening of Pakistani films at Dubai Expo 2020, said that drama, film and digital media were the best platforms to portray and promote the image of a country in the world.

The minister said that Dubai Expo has given Pakistan a huge opportunity to showcase the film and music industry here.