WASHINGTON, Dec 10: Minister of State for Privatization and Investment Umar Ghuman said on Friday that the government had devised a business-friendly investment policy , and urged foreign investors to take full advantage of it and invest in Pakistan.

He was addressing Honorary Investment Counsellors (HICs) in USA and Canada at a meeting at the Pakistan Embassy. The minister said the Board of Investment (BOI) was taking a number of measures to improve facilitation services needed by the prospective investors, and assured that the board was working to improve investment environment in Pakistan.

"Already, a headway is visible in respect of attracting investment," he said. Mr Ghuman said the government was focusing on creation of a business-friendly climate in Pakistan, "and we want to have HICs in all parts of the world in order to have more investment".

"We need a firm commitment from the HICs to devote themselves to attracting more investors to Pakistan," he said. In his remarks, Pakistan Ambassador Jehangir Karamat said that during his Dec 4 meeting with President George Bush and Colin Powell, President Musharraf discussed expansion of trade and commerce ties between Pakistan and the United States. -APP