Pakistan is endeavouring to hold important trade and investment conferences in the East Coast and West Coast of the United States, sometimes after the summer this year.
The probable cities in which investment conferences are being planned may be New York and Los Angeles.
Stating this, Investment and Privatisation Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh told APP that it would provide "a window of opportunity for Pakistan to attract foreign investment in the country" by familiarising the prospective investors with the areas of their interest, and introduce Pakistani products to the promising US market.
The minister said he discussed about these investment conferences, and sought help of the US authorities, and "they have assured to render due help, and co-operate with us."
Pakistan has held successful investment conferences in Paris and Beijing; and it plans to hold these in Hong Kong and London.
Responding to a question, the minister said the US side assured long-term investment, and progress on trade issues on which active work was under way.
About his meeting with the office-bearers of the US Chamber of Commerce, Dr Shaikh said" "We wanted an occasion to engage the private sector."
Responding to a question on investment conferences, he said: "We had these in Paris and Beijing with President General Pervez Musharraf inaugurating these."
In Beijing, he said Pakistan was able to gather 400 Chinese businessmen, and now he is continuously dealing with them.
"And, now, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali is going to Hong Kong so we are having one Investment Conference there:, he said and added that on May 12, Pakistan will be hosting an investment conference in London.
The minister said after the Beijing conference, a specific China desk was set up in the Board of Investment (BoI) to facilitate Chinese investors."
While in Beijing, he said there had been some 20 business deals of different nature, adding: "We also evolved a system to track this. Out of these 20, even if 4 or 5 deals are actually confirmed, that would be an accomplishment, and in case, there are any hurdles in their way we will try and resolve those."
Likewise, he said: "We intend to set up a one-window facilitation for the United States."