ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: British businessmen have expressed their willingness to invest £70 million in various sectors in Pakistan including aviation, tourism and agriculture during the next three years.

According to a press release issued by the Board of Investment (BoI), a UK-based business group held a meeting with Minister of State for Privatization and Investment Umar Ahmed Ghumman and discussed investment opportunities in the country.

The British delegation comprised Tasejad Jaffrey, Robert Hardless, Subthain Jeffrey, David Collick, Jafar Mehdi Abedi and Capt Fahimuddin.

The business group is planning to start a flight from Manchester to Islamabad from July this year. It is the first international British-Pakistani airlines that has been given permission to operate on an international route into Pakistan.

The state minister informed the British business group that the Pakistan government had introduced structural policy reforms and all the positive macro-economic indicators proved that the country was an investor-friendly state pursuing business-friendly policies. The government is pursuing a transparent policy of privatization, liberalization and deregulation, he added.

The minister on behalf of the government as well as the BoI assured the visiting delegation every possible help and assistance to make their projects in Pakistan a success story.

He invited them to explore the untapped opportunities to export various vegetables and fruits including mango and orange to the United Kingdom.

Mr Ghumman said 60 per cent of fruits and vegetables perished in Pakistan, adding that investors could expect lucrative returns by investing in warehousing, packing, grading and vexing.

The minister offered them help and assistance to set up a chain of warehouses in Pakistan for the purpose of storage and export of fruits and vegetables.

He said Pakistan's mountainous region offered places for skiing even during the summer season. Shortage of five-star hotels in Pakistan also offers tremendous opportunities to foreign investors to set up hotels and resorts, he added.

Praising the investment climate and improvement of macro- economic indicators, the chairman and chief executive officer of the business group thanked the BoI for its assistance and support for their visit to Pakistan and arranging meaningful discussions with public and private sector entities.EDG Talat Miyan and senior officials of the BoI also attended the meeting.