KARACHI: Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and Board of Investment (BoI) have agreed to form a Joint Consultative Working Group to help constitute and effectively operationalize an independent body called Invest Pakistan under the leadership of Prime Minister through Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
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According to a statement issued on Monday, FPCCI President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh apprised that Invest Pakistan will ensure the policy advocacy initiatives with the support and full-backing of private-sector to promote and facilitate FDI in Pakistan. We have decided to lend a helping hand to make this initiative a success story in the broader national interest, he added.
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FPCCI Chief added that he has liked the initiative as its concept note entails giving up to 80 percent representation to private-sector on Invest Pakistan board and 51 percent equity or shareholding to private-sector. However, the exact modalities and ToRs will be worked out when the meetings of the working group take place, he added.
Suleman Chawla, SVP FPCCI, who co-chaired the meeting with Ms. Ambreen Iftikhar, Additional Secretary BoI, at the FPCCI Head Office, explained the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) frameworks have proven to be most successful the world over – be it promoting FDI or enticing private-sector investments. He added that PPP mechanism ensures first-hand knowledge and expertise on a sectorial-level from the business, industry and trade community.
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Ms. Ambreen Iftikhar outlined the objectives of Invest Pakistan intuitive as: (i) develop a new and innovative private partnership to facilitate, promote and convert FDI (ii) possibility of joint equity of Invest Pakistan between public and private sectors (iii) seat on the policy negotiation and decision-making forums to avoid disconnect between government institutions and the business community (iv) joint targeting of investment and customized resolution of binding constraints (v) Brand Pakistan through actual investment successes rather through verbose material.
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It is pertinent to note that apart from its President and SVP, FPCCI has nominated three other of its prominent members to Joint Consultative Working Group; namely, Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo, immediate past President FPCCI; Mr. Amjad Rafi, Chairman of Pakistan-Turkiye Joint Business Council of FPCCI and Mr. Jawaid Ilyas, Chairman of Pakistan-China Business Council of FPCCI.
