HYDERABAD, March 16: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali has invited foreign entrepreneurs to invest in Pakistan, especially in the energy sector where vast opportunities are available for them.

Talking to a select gathering before performing the ground-breaking of a liquid petroleum gas plant of a joint venture in Jamshoro on Monday, he said the climate for investment in the country was favourable.

"The people of Pakistan and the government will welcome the investors." he prime minister said Pakistan was in dire need of liquid petroleum gas and it would continue to encourage investors in the field so that the cheap facility could reach every home.

He thanked the Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited for investing in the country and said it had sent a message to the world that Pakistan was free from all encumbrances.

Jamshoro Joint Venture chief Iqbal Z. Ahmad said the project would provide gas to 500,000 houses and jobs to 3,000 people. He said $32 million had been invested in the project and added his group would make further investment in the energy sector.

He thanked the Hanover Company and financial institutions for their help in commissioning the project. Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Naurez Shakoor said Pakistan was producing surplus furnace oil and added with the commissioning of the project, it would be producing 450 tons per day.