President General Pervez Musharraf on Monday said Pakistan's positive economic scenario holds out immense prospects for foreign investors, stating that increased inflow of investment into various sectors would lead to socio-economic development at the grassroots level.
The President was talking to a four-member delegation of Australian Tethyan Copper Company, which is carrying out exploration and development of copper mining in Balochistan.
He hoped that the project would generate employment opportunities for the local populace.
"In the long-term, we believe it is the economic empowerment of people at the local level that would help reduce poverty and lay firm foundations for across-the-board development", he underlined.
The President hoped that the foreign investors would contribute to the socio-economic advancement of the people of the area by providing job opportunities and also by allocating funds for their well-being in fields of education and health.
He referred to the vast human and natural potential existing in the country at the back of a fast-growing economy, saying these coupled with a host of incentives offered to entrepreneurs have made Pakistan a promising destination for investment.
All sectors of the economy are open to foreign investors with a promise of potential returns, as they enjoy equal opportunities with local entrepreneurs and can have 100 percent equity, he said.
Australian Tethyan Copper Company Managing Director David More thanked the President for the opportunity to call on him.
He appreciated the investor-friendly climate existing in Pakistan in the wake of recent reforms and consistently pursued policies in the last five years.
He assured the President that the project would provide jobs to the local people.
Federal Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Amanullah Khan Jadoon and Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Resources Mir Nasir Khan Mengal were also present during the meeting.