PM Shehbaz says Pakistan playing active role for regional peace

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the remarks during a meeting with delegations from the US-based Business Council for International Understanding and the US-Pakistan Business Council in New York. Business representatives from information technology, artificial intelligence, finance, beverages, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, organic products and other sectors attended the meeting.

The prime minister briefed the participants on Pakistan’s business- and investment-friendly policies and government initiatives aimed at developing various sectors. He said the Pakistan-US Business Council and the Business Council for International Understanding served as important bridges between Islamabad and Washington.

He added that Pakistan-U.S. relations had improved significantly over the past year. Prime Minister Shehbaz said Pakistan’s economy was now stable and moving towards growth, while the Gulf crisis had emerged at a difficult time for the country.

He said Pakistan was playing its full role in efforts to establish peace in the region. He expressed hope that long-term peace could be achieved in the region with the support of friendly and brotherly countries, stressing that lasting peace was essential for business and investment.

He said Pakistan was undertaking major structural and policy-level reforms. The prime minister said rapid work was underway to digitise the economy and promote technology and e-governance. He highlighted the immense potential for investment in Pakistan’s agriculture sector, saying the use of artificial intelligence, modern technology and machinery could increase per-acre yields.

He said modern agricultural equipment could help reduce costs and improve efficiency. Mining and minerals were also important areas for investment in Pakistan, adding that the country had been blessed with abundant mineral resources. Prime Minister Shehbaz described Pakistan’s youth as a valuable asset and said the government was providing them with professional training and skills.

He said efforts were underway to provide young people with skills and employment opportunities and make them economically empowered. Initiatives related to IT and artificial intelligence were among the government’s priorities. He also said the ports and shipping sector offered significant investment potential.

Privatisation was another important area of interest, adding that the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines had been completed and the new Pakistani owners would bring improvements to the airline. The prime minister said the government was also moving towards privatising power distribution companies.

He said the government’s role was to facilitate the private sector in business and investment and provide a conducive environment.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Special Assistants Tariq Fatemi and Bilal Bin Saqib, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Rizwan Ahmed Sheikh also attended the meeting.

The meeting was held during Prime Minister Shehbaz’s visit to New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, where regional security, peace and Pakistan’s economic and investment priorities have remained key areas of engagement.