March 07, 2007	Wednesday	Safar 17, 1428

ISLAMABAD, March 6: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has held out firm assurance to overseas Pakistanis that their investment in the country will be secure and their bank accounts will never be frozen as was done in the past.

Speaking at the concluding session of the two-day Overseas Pakistanis Investment Conference (OPIC) here on Tuesday, the premier said the Pakistani expatriates had worked very hard to contribute in strengthening of the country’s economy and they can do even more by way of investing in various progressive projects in industry, agriculture, livestock, infrastructure, real estate and construction industry.

He admitted that country’s law and order situation was a source of concern for the investors due to the population explosion and fast growing urbanisation but assured that the federal and provincial governments were determined to take all steps necessary to make the investors and their investments secure.

He said the confidence of the foreign investors had improved in these years reflected by the figures of foreign direct investment reaching $3.8bn in the last year and was expected to touch $5 to $6 billion in the current year. Similarly, the foreign remittances had been grown to $5bn, he said.

The PM also assured about one hundred delegates that the problems relating to the expatriates would be resolved by the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation through one window operation.

Federal minister for Overseas Pakistanis Ghulam Sarwar Khan presented key-note address while minister of state Raza Hayat Hiraj praised prime minister’s economic reforms policies.