ISLAMABAD, April 1: Over 300 delegates from the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), including Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Turkey, Egypt, Oman, Sudan, the UAE and Bangladesh, have confirmed their participation in a two-day international conference on investment and privatization being held in Islamabad from April 19-20.

According to an announcement made here on Tuesday by the Board of Investment (BoI), President of the Islamic Development Bank, Ahmad Muhammad Ali and the secretary general of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, had also confirmed their participation. The delegates comprise leading businessmen, heads of chambers of commerce and industries, senior officials from the investment banking and the government officials from the OIC states.

The conference, to be inaugurated by President Pervez Musharraf, will be followed by seven technical sessions covering investment and privatization opportunities in Pakistan, defence production, oil and gas, mining and energy, small and medium enterprises, information technology, infrastructure, tourism and agriculture. The business representatives from France, Canada, the US, Singapore and China will also attend the conference.

This mega event is being organized in collaboration with the E-Commerce Gateway Singapore and the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Besides the conference, a grand exhibition “Future 2003” would also be inaugurated by Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on April 18 at the Islamabad Convention Centre. It would be showcase of Pakistan’s technology prowess.

Prime Minister’s Adviser on Investment and Privatisation Dr Hafeez Sheikh has said the conference and the exhibition will explore new avenues of investment for Pakistan and provide opportunities for increased interaction between the private sector of the OIC states by information exchanges and business interaction among the senior government officials, leaders of financial institutions and business associations of the OIC member states.