JEDDAH, 8 December — Sindh Governor Mohammedmian Soomro yesterday urged overseas Pakistanis to take advantage of the opportunities available for investment in his province. “Many fields are open for investment, including agriculture, farming, minerals, recreation, education and health, aside from the vast service sector,” he said in an appeal to Pakistani expatriates based in the Kingdom. After performing Umrah, he was scheduled to pray at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah before returning home last evening.
Speaking to Arab News on the telephone from Makkah, Soomro said the province had been pursuing an investor-friendly policy since he assumed office 20 months ago. “While some overseas Pakistanis have already invested in various projects in the province, many others have evinced interest and are expected to follow suit,” he added.
Hyderabad and Karachi were among the cities in which overseas Pakistanis had invested in some projects. Many more were in the process of establishment, he said, adding that they could think of setting up small and medium enterprises in the fields of textiles, consumer products, foodstuffs, etc.
“Commercial banks have shown their eagerness to extend loans to such projects. What’s more, official level procedures have been simplified for overseas Pakistanis to invest in projects or start their own ventures without hassles,” said Soomro who became the province’s governor 20 months ago.
He emphasized that the World Bank had expressed satisfaction over the way its more than 100 projects were being run in the province. “A World Bank official visited the province recently to take a good view of the project,” he said. Likewise, the World Health Organization was happy with its immunization campaigns in different cities, towns and villages of the province.
Soomro said the province had a leading position in the country, especially in education, teacher training, jail reforms, and law and order.
The province, ahead in the matter of privatization, has the sixth largest coal reserves in the world, with foreign investments flowing into projects related to power generation, cement plants and granite, according to him. “A lot of granite goes out and comes back well polished. And this is a promising field in which overseas investments can do wonders,” he added.
“The province has taken positive steps in the interest of overseas Pakistanis, especially in housing and admissions to professional colleges,” he said.