SIFC meets with traders to discuss investment opportunities

Agriculture, mining, information technology identified for growth

A meeting was held between the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and the trader community of Karachi on Tuesday to discuss potential investments and the current economic situation.

Representing the SIFC were Dr Jahanzeb Khan and the body's director-general. They informed the traders' community of various areas of potential investment including agriculture, information technology and mining sectors.

The SIFC's policies were met with enthusiasm by the traders. A panel discussion was also held afterward.

Earlier. caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said that the recently-instituted SIFC would continue to work as before in laying the foundations for fast-track foreign investments -- particularly from Saudi Arabia.

Last month, the SIFC had approved 28 projects worth billions of dollars that would be offered to Gulf countries for investment, including the construction of Diamer-Bhasha dam and mining operations at Reko Diq in Balochistan’s Chagai district.

The list of the approved projects suggests that if all the schemes are picked up by countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, the quantum of investment under the SIFC banner can be greater than the $28 billion under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).