ISLAMABAD: Acknowledging the fact that Pakistan was going through a severe economic crisis, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday invited attendees at a key investment conference in Riyadh to invest in the country and reap benefits.
Highlighting investment opportunities — specifically in the tourism and mining sectors — PM Khan, along with his key cabinet ministers, talked about the issues plaguing his government at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference, also known as “Davos in the desert”.
According to Pakistan’s state-run radio, PM Khan said that his government had inherited a huge burden of current account and fiscal deficits and was working on different fronts to resolve the financial crunch.
He told the conference that his government was approaching the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and friendly countries to seek loans and plug the financial gap.
“The government is also endeavoring to reform our institutions to check the menace of corruption in mega development projects and white collar crimes,” Radio Pakistan said quoting the prime minister.
He also assured participants at the conference that his government would create an environment that was conducive for doing business in the country, to attract foreign entities — particularly overseas Pakistanis — to invest in various projects in the country.
Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Information Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, who is part of the delegation accompanying PM Khan on his visit, tweeted that the amount of respect that is accorded to PM Khan by the Kingdom shows how much importance is being given to the premier by the Muslim community.
As part of his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, PM Khan began his trip from Madinah, following which he traveled to Riyadh to participate in the FII conference.
PM Khan and his coterie of officials arrived in Madinah on Monday night where they were received by Governor Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The group prayed together at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah before heading to Riyadh to attend the conference.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdur Razak Dawood and several other officials are part of the delegation accompanying the prime minister.
As part of his visit, PM Khan is also expected to call upon King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman.
PM Khan seeks investment at ‘Davos in the desert’
PM Khan seeks investment at ‘Davos in the desert’
- Promises to create a conducive environment for doing business in Pakistan
- Addresses Islamabad’s economic issues at key conference in Riyadh
Pakistan says $50 million meat export deal with Tajikistan nearing finalization
- Islamabad expects to finalize agreement soon after Dushanbe signals demand for 100,000 tons
- Pakistan is seeking to expand agricultural trade beyond rice, citrus and mango exports
ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan has expressed interest in importing 100,000 tons of Pakistani meat worth more than $50 million, with both governments expected to finalize a supply agreement soon, Pakistan’s food security ministry said on Tuesday.
Pakistan is trying to grow agriculture-based exports as it seeks regional markets for livestock and food commodities, while Tajikistan, a landlocked Central Asian state, has been expanding food imports to support domestic demand. Pakistan currently exports rice, citrus and mangoes to Dushanbe, though volumes remain small compared to national production, according to official figures.
The development came during a meeting in Islamabad between Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and Ambassador of Tajikistan Yusuf Sharifzoda, where agricultural trade, livestock supply and food-security cooperation were discussed.
“Tajikistan intends to purchase 100,000 tons of meat from Pakistan, an import valued at over USD 50 million,” the ambassador said, according to the ministry’s statement, assuring full facilitation and that Islamabad was prepared to meet the demand.
The statement said the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in meat and livestock, fresh fruit, vegetables, staple crops, agricultural research, pest management and standards compliance. Pakistan also proposed strengthening coordination on phytosanitary rules and establishing pest-free production zones to support long-term exports.
Pakistan and Tajikistan have long maintained political ties but bilateral food trade remains below potential: Pakistan produces 1.8 million tons of mangoes annually but exported just 0.7 metric tons to Tajikistan in 2024, while rice exports amounted to only 240 metric tons in 2022 out of national output of 9.3 million tons. Pakistan imports mainly ginned cotton from Tajikistan.
