ISLAMABAD: German airline Lufthansa is keen to launch operations in Pakistan, it was revealed during a meeting between German Ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Stephan Schlagheck and Secretary Board of Investment (BOI) Fareena Mazhar here on Wednesday.
The German ambassador shared that a delegation of businessmen from his country is set to visit Pakistan in the following week to explore investment opportunities and Lufthansa is also a part of the delegation.
According to details, the delegation will be visiting Karachi and Islamabad and would be interacting with investors from the private sector and high-level government representatives.
Mazhar shared that she is looking forward to hosting the delegation at BOI and is eager to facilitate them in every possible way. She also added that senior-level meetings with Siemens Global CFO to discuss their plans will pave the way for Siemens establishing itself further in Pakistan.
The secretary while highlighting the various opportunities in Pakistan said that regulatory reform is a priority area for the incumbent government and investor facilitation is being paid special attention. She apprised the ambassador of the ten-year tax exemption introduced in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and the landmark one window operation that is set to be launched at the end of November this year.
“I’m confident with the way things are going and I’m positive that the numbers will increase,” the secretary said while talking about Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Pakistan. She also added that a jump of 15-20 positions is expected in Pakistan’s Ease of Doing Business (EODB) ranking in the State Bank’s next DB report.
She further said that Pakistan’s business climate at the moment is very conducive and the government has been introducing reforms to encourage foreign investment from all over the world. She mentioned that business giants like Samsung and Uniqlo are about to start their operations in Pakistan and assured that the Board of Investment, being the premier investment promotion and facilitation organization will facilitate German investors at every step of the way.
Mazhar termed the forthcoming visit of the German delegation to Pakistan as a positive sign for Pakistan’s economy.
