Zafar Ali Khan
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday tendered his deepest apology to Turkish investors and traders who faced red-tapism and the cold shoulder in Pakistan in receiving timely payments against their investments.
Addressing the Pak-Turkiye Business Council in Istanbul, he expressed his deepest regret over the maltreatment meted out to the Turkish businessmen in Pakistan.
He said that he was there to assure the Turkish investors that his government will take every possible mismeasure to facilitate Turkish firms in the future. He said that his government will remove all hurdles in the way of their future investment and ventures.
He said that during his visit to Turkey, he again heard complaints from Turkish investors and it was embarring for him and he deeply apologized for what had happened to them in Pakistan.
He said that the Turkish traders must believe in his commitment that his government will facilitate them in Pakistan. He said that the red tape and bureaucratic hurdles needed to be cut with sharp scissors and his government will never tolerate any hurdles put in the way of the trade between the two countries.
PM Shehbaz said that unfortunately, the historic friendship between Pakistan and Turkey did not reflect in the bilateral trade which currently stands at 1.1 billion dollars.
He said that the newly formed Pak-Turkiye Council would help boost trade between the two countries.
“Turkiye is our second home and the friendship is known to all. Our hearts beat together, our historical and fraternal relations spanned over centuries,” he said adding that the hurdles should have been removed much earlier but it was not done so but it was not too late, and “let’s forward and move with a high speed.”
The premier said that “we have infinite potential on both sides and all trade agreements between the two countries should be enforced fully.
Let’s forget the past and move forward. Come to Pakistan, invest there, and we will return your investment with huge profits. We will not tolerate snakes that impend our brotherly relations and put hurdles in our way.”
“Bureaucratic hurdles will not be tolerated, red-tap will not be tolerated and we will remove all hurdles in the way of Turkish investment,” he said adding that all payments to Turkish investors will be made in 30 days from now onwards.
“I know, Turkish traders were not facilitated in Pakistan, which will never occur again. I assure you, we will roll out the red carpet for you, and facilitate you. Come to Pakistan and invest there,” he said adding that Turkish investors should come forward to invest in solar energy projects in Pakistan.
He said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has assured him that Turkish companies wanted to invest in Pakistan and “trust us, we will facilitate you and make laws easier so that hurdles could be removed.”
At the beginning of his address, PM Shehbaz said that Pakistan and the people shared the grief of the Turkish people, who suffered at the hands of terrorists, who carried out a cruel and barbaric attack recently in Turkey.
He said that Pakistan has suffered as well at the hands of terrorists and thousands of people and law enforcers have sacrificed their lives over the last decades.
PM Shehbaz urged the world community to get united and fight the scourge of terrorism jointly to make the world a better place for humans.
He also thanked the Turkish government for helping Pakistan during the recent floods, which have wreaked havoc with the displacement of over 3.5 million people and caused colossal damage to infrastructure.
