ISLAMABAD, Nov 27: The newly-established Ministry of Investment has moved a summary to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for final approval of a “Special Task Force” being set up to provide round-the-clock security to investors.

The proposed task force will be headed by the minister of state for interior and will include home secretaries of all the provinces and officials of law enforcement agencies as its members, sources told Dawn on Thursday.

It will be holding regular meetings with the high-ups of the investment companies and would devise strategies for their protection, safe work and movement and living in Pakistan.

The law and order situation is scaring away investors, both local and foreign, in venturing in the remote areas of the country and the conflict-hit zones of Balochistan and NWFP.

But, this does not mean that the flow of investment in the so far safer areas has not been affected by the prevailing security problems.

According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) despite a moderation in investment of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio during financial year 2008, saving-investment gap widened by 3.2 per cent points due to a sharper decline in savings to GDP ratio.

Investment to GDP ratio declined to 21.6 per cent in financial year 2008 from 22.9 per cent in 2007 and savings to GDP ratio dropped from 17.8 per cent in 2007 to 13.9 per cent during financial year 2008.

The task force will provide security on priority basis to investors in the energy, oil and gas, food and agriculture and information technology infrastructure projects. These areas have been identified as attracting foreign investment in the near future, an official told Dawn.