Consulate General of Pakistan and Open Chicago hold Seminar

The Consulate General, in collaboration with OPEN-Chicago (Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America), organized a Seminar on “Pakistan’s Economic Partnership with the US Midwest Region: Opportunities in Trade & Investment, Tourism and Remittances”.

Deputy Governor, State Bank of Pakistan, Dr. Murtaza Syed participated in the event as keynote speaker. The event was attended by many entrepreneurs and CEOs, tech executives, thank-tanks representatives, journalists and prominent community members.

Speaking at the occasion, Counsel General Tariq Karim, inter alia, highlighted: economic diplomacy as one of his key priorities to enhance Pakistan’s partnership with the Midwest region; shifting of government of Pakistan’s focus from geo-politics to geo-economics; macroeconomic stability, successful handling of the pandemic and other policies and reforms undertaken by the government, including those intended to facilitate overseas Pakistanis, that have created conducive environment for investment and businesses while generating much-needed optimism and trust; Pakistan’s liberal investment regime, incentives for foreign investors, IT infrastructure and professionals and opportunities in sectors such as IT and telecommunication, agriculture, food processing, energy, and large-scale manufacturing; and, the importance of technology transfer for boosting exports and overall modernization; tourism as a key priority of the government and increasing profile of Pakistan as an attractive tourist destination. He invited entrepreneurs to benefit from the opportunities provided by Pakistan’s prime geo-strategic location, market size and cheap labor/IT professionals and liberal investment policies.

Dr. Murtaza Syed, in his keynote address, gave an overview of Pakistan’s economy, trade & investment landscape, opportunities for foreign investment and importance of close collaboration between Pakistan and the US Midwest region. He highlighted that Pakistan’s economy was on a path to recovery and that it was poised to witness continued recovery given its resilience and the measures taken by the Government. He also made a comprehensive presentation on Roshan Digital Accounts and responded to various questions in Q&A session.

The Seminar also included an expert panel discussion covering diverse fields like trade and investment, innovation & technology, connectivity and education. The panelists included SBP Deputy Governor Dr. Murtaza Syed, East-West University Chancellor Dr. Wasiullah Khan, Chair of Lahore-Chicago Sister City Committee Dr. Tariq Butt, prominent entrepreneur Dr. Khan Siddiqi, and Chairman of Central Asian Productivity Research Center Dr. Harry Lepinski.

The seminar was part of the Consulate General of Pakistan in Chicago’s continued efforts to enhance mutually beneficial economic partnership between Pakistan and the Midwest region.