Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Monday said that financial and capital markets in Pakistan were benefiting from the structural reforms introduced by the government during the past six years. He was talking to Paul Callello, Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse Asia-Pacific, who called on him at the PM House.
The Prime Minister said that due to sound macroeconomic management and structural reforms, economy in Pakistan was on a high growth path and was also improving the per capita income of the people, reducing poverty and creating jobs. He said it was objective of the government's economic policies to improve the quality of life of the people.
He said the government has now introduced second-generation reforms to further improve and develop the country. The reforms are holistic and continuous because Pakistan has to be fully prepared to meet the challenges of globalisation, which is an opportunity if the industry and economy can achieve competitiveness and higher productivity, he said.
Prime Minister Aziz said that capital markets in Pakistan have performed well and the country welcomes local and foreign investors to take advantage of this opportunity.
He said that there was a lot of opportunity for local and foreign companies to set up asset management activities in Pakistan to serve the needs of retail and institutional investors, both at home and abroad.
The Prime Minister welcomed the Credit Suisse's interest in Pakistan and encouraged them to invest in the asset management business here.
He said that real estate investment trust, private equity, hedge funds and venture capital offer opportunities for growth in Pakistan and institutions like Credit Suisse can help introduce them in our market.
Callello appreciated the economic policies of the government and said these were recognised all over the world especially in the investor and financial community.
Credit Suisse has invited Pakistan to participate in its upcoming global Investment Conference so that the Pakistan story can be told and investors from all over the world can benefit from the opportunities that exist here, he added.