The minister said the country needed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and relations with the US are part of this effort. The OPIC President who is heading a trade delegation to Pakistan scheduled to hold meetings with the business community and government officials to enhance investment in Pakistan said the volume of US investment in Pakistan has increased from $80 million to $300 million during last three years of her presidency.
She was quoted as saying "we are looking for right kind of partner in Pakistan," adding that her meetings with senior government officials and business community would help OPIC increase private investment in Pakistan. Talking to media persons during a joint press briefing with Finance Minister, she said security and governance are major challenges and expressed the hope that the new government would successfully deal with them. In reply to a question about the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between Pakistan and US, she said three issues are pending which are needed to be resolved. She said that OPIC is striving to increase US private investment in Pakistan for economic growth and employment generation.
In reply to another question, Dar stated that Pakistan and the US have agreed to hold a dialogue on co-operation in civil nuclear technology but stated that he could not give any timeline as to when the dialogue would begin. To yet another question, he said that the present government is committed to resolving all the problems which would eventually result in ending of travel advisory. The minister maintained that the US delegation is willing to help Pakistan overcome prevailing energy crisis and expressed the desire to invest in bio-energy sector in Pakistan.
He said Pakistan is an attractive country for investment. The Finance Minister reportedly informed the OPIC President about the recent negotiations with the IMF for a new programme and measures taken to clear the circular debt in the power sector as well as efforts being made to enhance power generation in the country. The minister reportedly sought support from the US to invest so that investment from other countries could also come to Pakistan.