OIC’s COMSTECH launches ‘expert service’ to foster tech cooperation among member states

ISLAMABAD: Overseas Pakistani businessmen in Saudi Arabia expressed interest in investing in the tourism, agriculture, food processing and trading sectors of their country of origin on Sunday, as they arrived in Islamabad to attend the inaugural Overseas Pakistanis Convention.
Nearly 20 Pakistan-origin businessmen from the Kingdom are participating in the program that kicked off today and will conclude on April 15.
Organized by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, the convention aims to recognize the contributions of expatriates to the national economy and address their concerns.
The government has accorded state guest status to all the attendees, with special arrangements made to welcome them at airports.
“We have keen interest in investing in Pakistan’s tourism infrastructure, including hotel development and facility upgrades, as well as in value-added agriculture, food processing and general trading sectors such as import-export,” Faisal Tahir Khan, a Saudi-born Pakistani businessman whose family has lived in the Kingdom for the past seven decades, told Arab News.
“At the moment our main platform, the Pakistan Investment Forum [PIF] in Saudi Arabia, is also working to build a Pakistan commercial hub in the Kingdom where we will be bringing the top 100 brands of Pakistan there,” he added.
Remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis are crucial for the country as the nation navigates a tricky path to recovery from a prolonged economic crisis that drained its revenues in recent years.
Pakistan expects to receive more than $35 billion in remittances until the end of this fiscal year in June, with its nationals in Saudi Arabia being top contributors to the country’s economy.
Khan maintained the Kingdom offered a robust investment ecosystem, driven by its Vision 2030 initiative to reduce its oil reliance and transform economy, saying the authorities in Riyadh are promoting equal opportunities for all investors.
Ali Khurshid Malik, another businessman from the Pakistani diaspora in Saudi Arabia, emphasized local companies should not miss the opportunities emerging in the construction sector in the Kingdom with the launch of projects like NEOM City.
NEOM City is a flagship project under Vision 2030, aimed at building a futuristic, sustainable urban hub driven by innovation and technology.
“The NEOM project offers a major opportunity for Pakistani investors in both construction, where Pakistan excels in materials and labor, and in smart city technologies, where its IT sector can play a key role,” he told Arab News.
Malik, who also serves as the finance secretary with PIF, said overseas Pakistanis with businesses in Saudi Arabia could help connect relevant companies in Pakistan, such as those providing construction materials like sanitary supplies, ceramics and marble with Saudi firms.
“There is also a demand for skilled workers, particularly in areas like smart electronics for smart homes,” he noted.
He also pointed out Pakistan needed to improve its certification systems to provide the Kingdom with certified skilled workers, including specialists in electronic modules, electronic systems, as well as electronic and software engineers.
Raja Shahid Raza, a Riyadh-based Pakistani entrepreneur, said the convention would provide a valuable opportunity for overseas Pakistani investors, businessmen and community members to engage directly with government institutions, while also boosting their pride as their contributions are being recognized by the country.
“As the top management of all key institutions that overseas Pakistanis interact with will be present, it will be a great opportunity to voice our concerns and receive direct responses from them,” he said, adding it would also connect different local businesses with the overseas community.
In a statement, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain said the convention aimed to address expatriates’ issues and recognize their contributions.
He informed the country’s top leadership, including the prime minister and the army chief, will also address the visiting business representatives.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held talks on counterterrorism cooperation and bilateral investment with a United States (US) congressional delegation in Islamabad on Sunday, as both countries attempt to forge closer ties to battle surging regional militancy. 

Military cooperation between Pakistan and the US spans over six decades, but it underwent a tactical renaissance since the militant attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. 

During the US ‘War on Terror’ against the Taliban in Afghanistan, US-Pakistan relations were largely prompted by Washington’s short-term need for Islamabad’s cooperation to serve its security and strategic interests in Kabul. 

A US congressional delegation in Pakistan comprising congressmen Jack Bergman, Tom Suozzi and Jonathan Jackson called on the Pakistani interior minister in Islamabad. Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudry, Acting US Ambassador Natalie Baker and Federal Interior Secretary Khurram Agha were also present. 

“Discussions on advancing cooperation in the fields of economy, trade and investment were held,” the interior ministry said. “Discussions were also held on security, counterterrorism and border security areas.”

Naqvi described Pakistan as a “wall” between “terrorism” and the world, the ministry said. 

“Terrorism is a global challenge and the international community urgently needs to cooperate fully with Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying by the ministry. 

The Pakistani minister stressed the importance of sharing intelligence and technology counterterrorism. 

Pakistan and the US will hold a counter-terrorism dialogue in June this year. Cooperation between Islamabad and Washington in the field of counterterrorism is particularly important given the increase in militant attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces bordering Afghanistan. 

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering militants that launch attacks on its soil, allegations that have been repeatedly denied by the Taliban government in Kabul.