Punjab province invites Iranian investors

Senior Adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister Senator Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa extended the invitation at a meeting with Hossein Sadegh Abedin, the governor-general of Iran's Fars province, in Shiraz on Saturday. Zulfiqar Khosa was leading a delegation of businessmen from Punjab, who are on their second phase of the visit. Senator Khosa urged the Iranian side to increase trade with Pakistan in meat, wheat, rice, oranges and maize. The two sides discussed prospects of establishing strong economic ties. Stressing the need for more frequent exchanges of delegations between the two sides, the governor-general of Fars province said that there should be a strong business network. Zulfiqar Khosa, in turn, invited the Governor-General of Fars on behalf of the Punjab chief minister to visit Lahore along with a delegation of relevant officials and businessmen. The Governor accepted the invitation and said that he will soon visit Lahore to explore trade and investment opportunities. Terming the visit a landmark occasion, Senator Khosa said that it was the first time that an official delegation from Punjab had visited Shiraz to establish economic ties between the two provinces. He said both Punjab and Shiraz shared common culture, literary heritage and economic conditions and there was a great scope for expanding business relations. The delegation also visited the Shiraz Chambers of Commerce and Industry and held meetings with heads of leading companies. Zulfiqar Khosa invited them to invest in agriculture, livestock, dairy, energy and infrastructure sectors in Punjab, assuring them that he would personally ensure that they were facilitated and provided with necessary support. He asked the President of the Shiraz Chamber to hold a mango exhibition in June, promising that the Punjab government would send mangoes for the exhibition. He also invited the business community to participate in the Iran Single-Country Exhibition to be held in Lahore on May 29 this year. Shiraz Chamber President showed his keen interest in the exhibition and promised that a delegation from Shiraz would participate in the exhibition.