08 February 2005	Tuesday	28 Zilhaj 1425

ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that continuity and sustainability of economic policies of the government have made the country an attractive destination for investors.

The prime minister was briefing Simon Radolph, head of Asia Region Templeton Asset Management to Pakistan, on reforms and deregulation policies of the government, when the latter called on him on Monday.

Mr Aziz said Pakistan offered great potential for investment in IT, telecommunication, oil and gas, power, agro-based industry and services sectors. The manufacturing sector was growing rapidly, offering opportunities for more investment, he added.

He said that because of its strategic location Pakistan could serve as a hub for exports to the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa, and added that the government was providing a level playing field to investors.

He said the government was facilitating the private sector to play its role in an effective manner as it believed that the private sector was the engine of growth.

The prime minister also briefed him about the dialogue process with India for ensuring peace in the region. He said that Pakistan was a peaceful country and was striving for peace and stability in the region so that it could focus on development and prosperity of the people.

He said that the government was also focusing on the agriculture sector to improve the standard of living of people of the rural areas and was providing them the basic amenities of life, and added that this would not only boost agricultural production but would also provide quality raw material to agro-based industries.

Simon Radolph, while praising Pakistan's economic and fiscal policies, said that the country had earned credibility in the international capital market and won the confidence of investors.

He said that Pakistan's economic reforms and deregulation policies should serve as a model for other developing countries.