HONG KONG, Aug 11: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz arrived here on Thursday on the second leg of his week-long visit to Japan and Hong Kong to market Pakistan as an investment destination and a moderate country as part of its ‘Look East Policy’.

On board his special plane from Nagoya (Japan) on way to Hong Kong, the prime minister said his visit to Japan was successful more than his expectations and expressed the hope that Japanese businessmen and tourists would start looking at Pakistan as a destination.

However, he was far from satisfied with a Pakistani Pavilion set up by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Aichi Expo 2005, at Nagoya where he was chief guest at the Pakistan Day function. “It (pavilion) could have been much better. We could have done better,” said the prime minister, but added: “We have achieved the objective as most of the people took keen interest in the replica of fasting Budha.”

“In fact this replica saved us,” he said. However, he said the cultural show was very good.

Earlier, he said Pakistan should either participate in exhibitions effectively or not at all, otherwise it becomes counter-productive. About 120 countries have set up their pavilions at the expo centre, and over 18 million people are expected to visit it. India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have set up much larger stalls and put on display a variety of their cultural and other regional products. Pakistan’s pavilion included a landscape of Himalayan mountains, a couple of Budha sculptures and some carpets.

In reply to a question about his discussions with Japanese authorities about environment and investment issues and the Punjab government’s plan to develop New Murree City despite environmental and ecological problems, the prime minister said the environment ministry had recently conducted a study on the project and found it no threat to environment and water storages like Mangla, Simly and Rawal.

Mr Aziz said his visit to Hong Kong had a great international significance because the city was a business, financial and media capital of the Asia and he would meet chief executive of Hong Kong Donald Tsang and many businessmen, financial sector executives and leading media concerns.

He said he would seek investment in ports and airlines, including addition of Cathy Pacific flights to and from Pakistan. He would invite real estate developers to visit Pakistan, hold discussions with chambers of commerce, Pakistan Eurobond holders, fund managers, Pakistani community, top corporate and civil society members, the premier said.

Earlier, in his opening speech at the Pakistan Day Expo, the prime minister invited Japanese tourists to visit Pakistan, a land of exotic beauty and rich cultural heritage, to promote closer links between the two countries.

Under the tradition, a day is assigned to each country as a national day and is inaugurated by the chief executive of that country.

“Pakistan has a lot to offer, come and see the civilizations living along the Indus and the ancient Buddhist sites of Gandhara,” Prime Minister Aziz told a gathering of Pakistani and Japanese visitors.