The President, Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan offers attractive opportunities and a level playing field to both domestic and foreign investors. He was talking to a delegation of Italian Oil Exploration Company, ENI headed by its CEO, Paolo Scaroni in Islamabad Wednesday.
The President said that oil and gas met about 80percent of Pakistans energy needs and as an energy deficient country, it offered great opportunities to oil and gas exploration companies for mutual benefit. He said that Pakistans oil and gas sector has great potential to expand both in upstream and downstream industries.
Zardari also said that Pakistan is pursuing a reform programme in this vital sector based on the principles of private-public partnership, deregulation and liberalisation. He also appreciated the role of ENI as the largest player in Pakistans oil and gas exploration sector.
Paolo Scaroni thanked Pakistan for the co-operation it had extended to the Company in exploration activities for the past several years. He expressed the hope that with its aggressive policy of oil and gas exploration Pakistan could soon become self sufficient in this vital sector. The Advisor on Petroleum, Dr Asim Hussain, Minister for Investment, Waqar Ahmed Khan and senior officials of the Petroleum Ministry and Board of Investment were also present on the occasion.