ISLAMABAD: The Board of Investment (BOI) has conducted a first ever open e-Katcheri to resolve issues of the business community.
BOI Secretary Fareena Mazhar shared that Pakistan is working on creating a Business and Investment Forum with China, which will offer numerous opportunities to the private sector.
She also assured investors that the process of obtaining business visas will be further expedited by taking up the issue with other relevant departments.
Owing to the ongoing pandemic and restrictions enforced in result thereof, directions received from the Prime Minister’s office resulted in BOI organising its first ever open e-Katcheri, here on Monday.
The e-katcheri was conducted by the Secretary BOI, Mazhar, and several officers of the BOI including Director General Jamil Qureshi and Director General Suriya Jamal participated in the session.
Regional BOI offices also participated in the session virtually. The session continued for two hours and was a successful feat in regards to public outreach. Speaking to the relevant audiences via Zoom and telephone, Mazhar shared her official e-mail address and contact details of relevant officers. She encouraged investors to share their project proposals and observations with the BOI for further coordination on matters of importance.
A large number of investors and members of the business fraternity reached out to the BOI with their queries and expressed gratitude for being given the opportunity to directly contact the secretary.
They also appreciated the BOI team for timely resolution of complaints and facilitating investors in every possible way.
Local and foreign investors came forward with a wide range of issues and suggestions including obtaining business visas, tourism policy, investment in sectors such as petroleum, minerals and mining, and livestock, etc.
Focus of the e-katcheri was to address issues pertaining to investors including Ease of Doing Business (EoDB), foreign investment, Special Economic Zones (SEZ), work visas, establishing company branch/liaison office, and other areas relevant to the BOI’s mandate.
The activity was aimed at strengthening of public trust and developing a linkage between government’s machinery and investors.
Through this venture, the BOI provided an accessible platform to the public to redress queries and complaints and was able to convey the government’s narrative on investment incentives.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021