ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said he hopes parliamentary elections will be held in a peaceful environment throughout Afghanistan.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke to his Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani over the phone on Friday.
Pakistan’s foreign minister told Rabbani “these elections are an important landmark for the strengthening of democracy in the country, which remains the key to achieving sustainable peace and progress in Afghanistan,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on Friday evening.
Qureshi also reassured Rabbani about Pakistan’s complete support for the Afghan democratic process.
Afghanistan is holding an election for the lower house of parliament, known as the Wolesi Jirga under tight security.
“Thanking the Foreign Minister for his support, FM Rabbani briefed Mr. Qureshi about the difficulties being faced by the Afghan government in holding the upcoming elections in Afghanistan in a successful manner,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office statement said, quoting Rabbani.
The statement added: “Mr. Rabbani also expressed the hope that both countries would continue to work together in pursuing peace and an end to the decades-old conflict in Afghanistan.”
Early on Friday Pakistan, on the request of the Kabul government, closed the gates along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border for two days.
The decision to shut down the crossings along the Chaman and Torkham border was taken to help Kabul conduct its parliamentary elections seamlessly.
Pakistan expresses hope for peaceful Afghan elections
Pakistan expresses hope for peaceful Afghan elections
- Qureshi reassured Pakistan’s complete support for the Afghan democratic process
- Afghanistan is holding election for the lower house of parliament, on Saturday
UK says Pakistan regulatory overhaul to yield £1 billion a year as Islamabad launches reform drive
- Britain says it worked with Pakistan on 472 proposed reforms to streamline business rules across key sectors
- PM Shehbaz Sharif says Pakistan has stabilized economy and now aims to attract investment by cutting red tape
ISLAMABAD: Britain’s development minister Jenny Chapman said on Saturday Pakistan’s sweeping new regulatory overhaul could generate economic gains of nearly £1 billion a year, as Islamabad formally launched the reform package aimed at cutting red tape and attracting foreign investment.
The initiative, driven by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government and the Board of Investment, aims to introduce legislative changes and procedural reforms designed to streamline approvals, digitize documentation and remove outdated business regulations.
Chapman said the UK had worked with Pakistan on 472 reform proposals as part of its support to help the country shift from economic stabilization to sustained growth.
“These reforms will break down barriers to investment, eliminate more than 600,000 paper documents, and save over 23,000 hours of labor every year for commercial approvals,” Chapman said at the launch ceremony in the presence of Sharif and his team. “The first two packages alone could have an economic impact of up to 300 billion Pakistani rupees annually — nearly one billion pounds — with more benefits to come.”
Addressing the ceremony, the prime minister said the reforms were central to Pakistan’s effort to rebuild investor confidence after the country narrowly avoided financial default in recent years.
“Our economy was in a very difficult situation when we took office,” he said. “But we did not lose hope, and today Pakistan is economically out of the woods. Now we are focused on growing our economy and attracting foreign investment.”
He described the new regulatory framework as a “quantum jump” that would reduce corruption, speed up approvals and remove longstanding procedural hurdles that have discouraged businesses.
Chapman told the audience that more than 200 British companies operate in Pakistan, with the largest six contributing around one percent of Pakistan’s GDP.
She said the UK saw Pakistan as a partner rather than a recipient of aid.
“Modern partners work together not as donors but as investors, bringing all our strengths to the table,” she said, adding that the reforms would make Pakistani exports more competitive and encourage UK firms to expand their footprint.
Sharif highlighted the role of the British Pakistani diaspora and said Pakistan hoped to unlock more private capital by engaging diaspora entrepreneurs and financial institutions in the UK.
