March 25, 2006	Saturday	Safar 24, 1427

NEW YORK, March 24: Four top Pakistani finance managers have embarked on a “global roadshow” to tell the international investors to look into Pakistan as a “good investment destination”.

The financial team is headed by Dr Salman Shah, adviser to the prime minister, Finance Secretary Tanvir Ali Agha, State Bank Governor Shamshad Akhtar and Dr Ashfaq Hasan Khan, director Debt Management.

At the heels of the issuance of global bond issue which raised $800 million, Dr Salman Shah said in an interview “In Pakistan we are in a position where we can ask the international investors to invest in Pakistan because we feel Pakistan’s economy is doing very well and we are integrating it in the international economic system.”

“We need international investors to look into Pakistan as being a good investment destination”.

“We want to tell the international financial markets that Pakistani economy is dynamic economy, there has been major restructuring in the economy in which the private sector has come to the forefront, the private sector is reinvesting and they are also bringing in foreign capital from around the world. We have attracted leading financial companies to come to invest into Pakistan”, said Shah.

“We have a very high growth which will be sustainable and we want the international financial community participating in that”, asserted Dr Shah.

Dr Ashfaq Hasan Khan said that issuance of global bond by Pakistan is a litmus test for the international community to gauge Pakistan’s economic growth and invest there. Every country in the world including China, Malaysia etc., undertakes such an economic measure, by issuing bonds.