June 22, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 25, 1427

ISLAMABAD, June 21: Pakistan offers attractive opportunities for investment and provides a level-playing field for business as it makes no distinction between local and international investors.

This was stated by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz while talking to Infospan CEO Farooq Bajwa, who called on him at the head of a seven-member delegation at his chamber in the Parliament House on Wednesday. Infospan is a major US-based IT company.

The prime minister said Pakistan was ideally suited for investment as it had growing middle class with comparatively low cost of production, competitive wages and a large pool of young people with excellent skills and proficiency in English language. The country also offers excellent margin of profitability and an enabling environment committed to facilitating investors, he added.

Mr Bajwa said that the economic turnaround achieved by Pakistan was impressive and the company was keen to expand it to Lahore and Karachi.

The company also plans to introduce a stored value card linked to call centre through which it will cater for a host of transactions including foreign remittances, normal business transaction services, utility bills and taxes, he added.