August 25, 2007	Saturday	Sha’aban 11, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Aug 24: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Friday government was encouraging Shariah compliant banking in the country.

He was taking to the delegation headed by Chief Executive Officer of Bank Al Salam, Bahrain, Yousif Taqi, who called on him at the Prime Minister House.

He said Pakistan banking sector was expanding rapidly and was a major driver for growth while meeting the needs of low, middle and high income people as well as small and medium enterprises, large scale manufacturers, traders and all other segments of society.

The regulatory regime, he said, is strong and the central bank is effectively performing the banking regulatory function in the country. As a result of this, he added, banks in Pakistan are well capitalised, growing and meeting diverse customer needs.

He said the government’s consistent and transparent policies and substantive structural reforms have now placed Pakistan on a solid footing and its strong fundamentals guarantee continued growth in future.

Pakistan is one of the faster growing economies in Asia and major investments have been received from European Union, USA, Far East and the Middle East, he added.

He said that the consistency of policies had given a further boost to the economic activities in the country. Several sectors represent attractive investment opportunities, including telecom, IT, financial services, engineering and real estate, he added.