ISLAMABAD, March 17: Federal Minister for Information Technology Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari on Wednesday called upon the US businessmen to invest in information technology and telecom sectors in Pakistan.

"There are indeed very good opportunities for the US businessmen to participate in the business growth currently being witnessed in the IT and telecom sectors in Pakistan," he said during a meeting with a 15-member delegation of US-Pakistan Business Council.

The delegation was led by Herb Davis, managing director of South Asia Affairs US Chamber of Commerce, and Esperanza Gornez, executive director of US Chamber of Commerce.

Information technology secretary Khalid Saeed, Pakistan Software Export Board managing director Dr Amir Matin and other IT ministry officials were also present on the occasion.

The minister told the delegation that the telecom and IT sectors in Pakistan had become the leading growth engine of business activity due to liberalization of the sector.

"With only 1.7 per cent tele-density in the mobile cellular sector and 2.7 per cent in the fixed-line sector, we foresee a tremendous growth in the telecommunication sector here," he said.

The minister said international players had already set their sight on Pakistan with more than 30 local and international companies keen to get licences to operate in the cellular communication sector.

Similarly, he said, the organizational restructuring of PTCL was also under way to bring about a change in the business attitudes and to prepare the company for the competition likely to set in following the entry of new players in the wireless local loop and long-distance international telecommunication areas.

Referring to the e-government initiative of his ministry, Mr leghari said his ministry had launched an aggressive programme to ensure a quick delivery of IT enabled public services to the people.

He said: "Our ministry has requested President Pervez Musharraf to be in-charge of this initiative to ensure complete automation of the 34 government divisions in the shortest possible time."

The IT programmes and initiatives being launched by his ministry provided an ideal opportunity for companies like Microsoft, Oracle and Sun Microsystems to be strong technology partners.

He said these companies had already started coming to Pakistan in a big way by interacting and teaming up in joint partnerships with local firms and business houses.

Mr Leghari said his ministry could go as far as offering salary costs for the initial three years for any leading IT firm interested in setting up its operations in Pakistan. "I can assure you that Pakistan is one of those few countries where reality on the ground is not as bad as the perceptions and image projected abroad," he said.