ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is an attractive destination for foreign investors as it facilitates and protects their financial returns, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Friday.

He said this in a meeting with Iftikhar Aziz, president of Pakistan-Sri Lanka Friendship Trade and Investment Association. Mr Aziz was given Tamgha-i-Khidmat by President Mamnoon Hussain on March 23.

The prime minister recalled his meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart, Ranil Wickremesinghe, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum early this year and said both the countries could collaborate to achieve the objectives of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).

Earlier, Pakistan and Sri Lanka called for breaking a stalemate in Saarc, and ruled out war between India and Pakistan as an option to sort out issues and stressed the use of corporate and industrial ties in the region to keep the forum intact despite ongoing differences.

Mr Sharif said Pakistan and Sri Lanka should also utilise the potential of their free trade agreement.

According to the State Bank of Pakistan’s data, Pakistan exported goods worth $167 million to Sri Lanka in the first eight months, i.e. July to February, of the current fiscal year. In contrast, imports from Sri Lanka amounted to $39m in the same period.

Mr Aziz, who was accompanied by the vice-president and secretary general of the association, gifted 10 corneas to the prime minister, 10 to Punjab’s chief minister and five to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s governor. He said he would be able to provide additional corneas in the next two weeks.

The premier congratulated Mr Aziz on receiving the award and said it pointed to the “meritorious” services for promoting friendship, trade and investment between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2017