Shehbaz Sharif says fortunate to have a well-wisher friend like Saudi Arabia n 50-member Saudi business delegation to arrive in Pakistan tomorrow.

ISLAMABAD  -  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday expressed the hope that the interaction with the delegation of Saudi businessmen expected to visit Pakistan in the next few days would prove productive.

The prime minister, who chaired a high-level meeting to review the progress on Saudi investment and projects in the country, directed the authorities concerned to accord warm hospitality to the delegation.

The participants were briefed about the upcoming visit of Saudi businessmen and their expected investment in different sectors.

The prime minister thanked the Saudi leadership for promoting investment in Pakistan and taking measures for the country’s progress and prosperity. Apprising the meeting of his recent Saudi visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz appreciated the relevant ministers and officers for their well-preparedness.

He told the participants that the Saudi leadership had assured their all-out support for Pakistan’s prosperity which was welcoming. Referring to the bilateral cordial ties with Saudi Arabia that spanned over decades, he said Pakistan was fortunate to have a well-wisher friend like the Kingdom.

Prime Minister Shehbaz told the meeting that Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were keenly interested in promoting investment in Pakistan.

Federal ministers Jam Kamal Khan, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ahad Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Dr Musaddik Malik, Abdul Aleem Khan and Sardar Awais Khan Leghari, State Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Jahanzeb Khan, PM’s Coordinator Rana Ehsan Afzal, National Coordinator of SIFC Lt. General Sarfaraz and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.

‘Polio eradication’

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday expressed the hope that the government, in collaboration with the global partners and national institutions, would be able to eliminate polio from the country very soon.

The prime minister, in a meeting with a delegation of Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) led by Dr Christopher Elias, Chair of Polio Oversight Board and President of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Development Division, said the government was fully resolved to purge the country of this fatal disease. The prime minister directed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to launch a joint awareness drive, in collaboration with the GPEI.

He told the delegation that the government would carry out the accountability of the institutions involved in the polio eradication to ensure transparency in the process. He also assured to provide full security cover to the vaccination teams. Prime Minister Shehbaz lauded the $500 million donation by Saudi Arabia during the World Economic Forum for polio eradication.

He said the Pakistan-Afghanistan cooperation was a must to eradicate polio from the region.

The members of the delegation apprised the prime minister of the ongoing measures for polio eradication and appreciated the government’s resolve to get rid of the disease.

The delegation also highlighted the problems faced during the immunisation.

The delegation members observed that the government was resolved to ensure success of polio eradication drive by providing necessary technical expertise.

Dr Christopher told the prime minister that Bill Gates was extremely pleased over the anti-polio initiatives taken during his both stints as Punjab chief minister.

The meeting was attended by Regional Director of EMRO Dr Hanan Balkhi, Sanjay Wijesekera Unicef Regional Director of South Asia, Dr Omotayo Bolu, Polio Branch Chief of Centres for Disease Control, Dr Luo Dapeng, WHO Representative in Pakistan, Abdullah A. Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, Dr Hamid Jafari, Director Polio Eradication, EMRO and Michael Galway, Deputy Director Polio Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, State Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, PM’s Coordinator on Health Mukhtar Malik and relevant senior officers were also present.

Meanwhile, A 50-member high-level business delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is due in Pakistan on May 5 to explore investment opportunities in different sectors as well as to forge strong bonds with local entrepreneurs.

Some 30 Saudi companies representing different economic sectors, including information technology, telecoms, energy, aviation, construction, mining exploration, agriculture and human resource development would be part of the delegation, which would be led by the Assistant Minister of Investment, a Ministry of Commerce official said on Friday.

The ministry had selected a large number of Pakistani companies in the respective sectors whose officials would have  business-to-business meetings with their Saudi counterparts, and would hopefully enter into business and investment deals,

he added.

The official said the delegation would  also participate in the Pak-Saudi Investment Conference.

He said that Saudi Arabia was an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities, however, it was now undergoing a transformation to reduce oil dependence, diversify income sources and enhance competitiveness under the Vision 2030.

Currently, he said, the major exports of the Kingdom included mineral fuels, mineral oils, plastics and organic chemicals, whereas it was importing machinery, vehicles, and  agricultural products.

The official said that during the first half of the current financial year, bilateral trade between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was  recorded at $2,482.37 million, with Pakistan’s exports of $262.58 million and Saudi exports of $2.219 billion.

He said Pakistan’s major to the KSA consisted of rice, meat of bovine animals, fruits and vegetables, and tents and camping goods, whereas imports were petroleum products, and polymers of propylene and ethylene.

The official said Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had agreed on a Free-Trade Agreement. Pakistan, he added, was also planning to organize a Single Country Exhibition and Lifestyle Show in Saudi Arabia.

He said that Pakistan would welcome and fully facilitate investments and partnerships from Saudi Arabia in IT, minerals, textiles, food security, engineering and energy sectors.