"The US has launched a 'Rewards for Justice' programme and the amount is announced for the one who will provide information about the attackers of the Mumbai attacks, but the media took it otherwise," he said. "Still it is a fact that Hafiz Saeed is among the main suspects of the incident," he added. Commenting on trade relations with Pakistan, he said negotiations were under way in the right direction.
Regarding talks with Taliban, the US envoy said it was a trilateral engagement, led by Afghanistan and facilitated by the US and Pakistan. Earlier, he said that the US was interested in developing trade relations with Pakistan and the ABF was the most appropriate forum in this regard. President of the American Business Forum (ABF) said that subject to political stability, ABF member companies would invest millions of dollars in the next two years in Pakistan.
He was welcoming US Ambassador Cameron Munter at the forum's dinner at a local club. He said that the United States had a huge stake in Pakistani businesses landscape. They had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Pakistan because they believed in Pakistan's potential. Over the next two years, as much as $350 million to $400 million would be invested in Pakistan, he added.
He said that ABF members were also credited for providing 15,000 direct and 30,000 indirect jobs in the last year. American businesses were not only the largest source of Foreign Direct Investment in Pakistan, they were also among the heaviest taxpayers, he said. He said as Pakistan continued to pave its way towards a mature, more stable democratic future, 2012 promised to be one of the many critical years in the country's history.
"The dynamics building up to and eventually through the elections themselves can prove to be challenging, but I genuinely believe that Pakistan is now mature enough to overcome the difficulties and emerge out the other side even stronger, and best geared for the future," he stressed. The ABF President said that to realise the true economic potential of the country, the government needed to take steps for tax rationalisation. He cited examples of BRICS and emerging Caucasian countries of Central Asia, where corporate and personal income taxes were kept at lower rate to encourage investment and spending.
Already, he pointed out, the election year would imply an election budget, and a surplus of irrational funds and unnecessary cash flow would be available at this moment. This would only cause an imbalance in the economy, and ultimately negatively affect the country's trade deficit. The ABF companies, he added, would have a great role to play in this phase of Pakistani politics. Highlighting ABF's role in community building, he said that US companies were amongst the first to respond and support people during the 2010 and 2011 floods. Even through ABF platform, members have contributed towards construction of houses, which would soon be commissioned in Sindh and handed over to the people affected by floodings.
He said the ABF had also signed an MOU with USAID to make ABF eligible for economic and humanitarian assistance. Salim said he had recently been invited by the State Department to represent Pakistani business community at the Global Business Conference in Washington DC. "With Hillary Clinton as the chairperson and with representatives of more than 120 countries in attendance, it was a great honour and a humbling moment to be recognised at such a forum. It was also a great opportunity to learn about the directions and aims of the international community, looking at business opportunities and evaluating our own standing within international community." The president of the ABF also appreciated US Consul-General Nina Fite and her office's support and co-operation with local business community.