ISLAMABAD: Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday held delegation-level talks with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and discussed prospects for Qatari investment in various fields, including food security, aviation, maritime, energy, tourism and petroleum sectors.

This was the first engagement of the Pakistani prime minister after his arrival in Doha on a two-day official visit. Sharif, accompanied by key members of the cabinet, will hold meetings with the top leadership of the Arab country and interact with representatives of the business community to highlight investment opportunities in Pakistan.

More than 200,000 Pakistani nationals currently work and live in Qatar. 

QIA is one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world. Its meeting with PM Sharif was attended by chief executive officer Mansoor Bin Ebrahim AL-Mahmoud, and Sheikh Faisal Thani Al-Thani, the chief investment officer of the Africa and Asia-Pacific Regions.

“The prime minister stressed the need to further enhance bilateral economic and investment engagements, particularly in the renewable energy including solar and wind power generation, aviation, maritime, industrial and infrastructure development, and hospitality sectors,” the prime minister office said in a statement.

The PM underlined Pakistan’s unique geographic and demographic advantages, which combine its strategic location with a huge middle-class market and a large skilled workforce. He said Pakistan wanted to upgrade political ties between the two countries into a “comprehensive economic partnership.”

He also urged Qatari investors to explore opportunities presented by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to promote regional connectivity and mutual prosperity.

“The prime minister assured full facilitation to QIA through transparent and expeditious processes,” the statement added.

Both sides agreed that designated focal persons would closely follow-up on the key proposals for investments.

Terming Pakistan a priority country, the statement said the QIA delegation expressed keen interest and readiness to actively pursue investment opportunities in Pakistan.

“We talked with Qatari investors to invest in Pakistan and we are doing this to bring prosperity to the people of Pakistan,” Sharif said while talking to media from Doha.