By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday said that steps were being taken to facilitate the businessmen and the industrial sector by providing them an enabling environment to expand economic and commercial activities in the country.
He stated that the government was conducting intensive trade diplomacy and was trying to obtain access to new and better markets for local traders and industry through Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) to encourage and strengthen the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
The President made these remarks while talking to a delegation of the Jhang Chamber of Small Traders & Small Industry (JCST&SI), which led by President JCST&SI Liaqat Ali Malik called on him here at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
Senior Vice President JCST&SI, Muhammad Adnan Sarwar, Vice President, Abdul Quyoum, and executive members of the JCST&SI attended the meeting. Liaqat Ali Malik briefed the President about the role of JCST&SI in creating job opportunities and appreciated the government for approving an industrial estate for the businessmen of Jhang.
Talking to the delegation, the President said that reforms had been initiated to improve the business climate of the country and attract foreign investment.
He added that the government was making concerted efforts to help the industrial sector by reducing the cost of production to enable businessmen to compete in the international markets.
The President stated that the government was encouraging the youth to establish their own businesses and, in that regard, Rs. 100 billion had been allocated under the Kamyab Jawan Program.
He urged the chambers of commerce and industries to play their role in encouraging the traders to pay taxes and support the government’s endeavours with regard to the documentation of economy. The President appreciated the role of JCST&SI in the country’s economic development and assured the delegation of his support to help address their problems.
Days earlier, President Dr Arif Alvi on September 24 called for establishing an institutional framework to encourage the multinational companies and the Pakistani diaspora to extend their business setups in Pakistan, particularly in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.
Addressing a meeting via video-link with the Pakistani diaspora from Silicon Valley, USA, he underlined the need to improve the business environment by simplifying the procedure for registration of companies and capital movement to attract foreign investments in Pakistan.
The president said the government was taking serious measures to provide an enabling environment to foreign investors.
He said the ICT sector was being strengthened owing to its great potential to put the country on fast-track development.
He emphasized the need to develop a comprehensive and coordinated strategy to cope with the cyber threats by ensuring the safety of cyberspace for citizens and businesses.
The president highlighted that Pakistan produced 30 thousand IT graduates every year, of whom only 5,000 got employment while the rest faced difficulties in getting jobs due to lack of marketable skills.
He also emphasized the need to improve the skills of IT experts and graduates by training them as per market requirements. The president assured the Pakistani diaspora of his support to help address their concerns by providing them a business-friendly environment.
The meeting deliberated upon the issues being faced by the foreign investors and Pakistani diaspora while setting up businesses and making investments in Pakistan.
