July 18, 2002	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 7, 1423

LOS ANGELES, July 17: The US-based World Trade Centre Association (WTCA) has assured Pakistan in helping in upcoming privatization of Habib Bank Ltd (HBL) and Bank Al-Falah.

The understanding was reached in the Tuesday’s meeting at the office of the WTCA between Mahboob Akhter from the Office of Honorary Investment Counsellor, Safi Qureshey and Tariq Bajwa, Pakistan’s Commercial Counsellors in Los Angeles.

Vance Baugham, Vice President of International Trade at the WTCA, and Tara Norton, Project Member, said the WTCA would contact the prospective investors from their database of banks and financial institutions interested in investments in the sub-continent and will assist in contacting them.

Another meeting with the WTCA is due early next week to discuss in threadbare the financial details of the HBL and Bank Al-Falah in order to prepare for meetings with the potential investors.

Currently, there are more than 750,000 members of over 212 world trade centres in 101 countries.

Akhter told Dawn the WTCA had indicated that they might be coming up with the names of few potential investors.