Pakistani Envoy seeks Bahrain’s investment in CPEC energy sector

MANAMA:

A long-term plan is being worked out to transform bilateral ties between Pakistan and Bahrain into a strong economic partnership to create a win-win situation for both countries, said Pakistan’s Ambassador to Bahrain Muhammad Ayub.

“I see a lot of mutually beneficial opportunities in the areas of trade, investment, food security, energy, tourism, higher education, training and development,” said the envoy in an exclusive interview with APP on Monday.

He highlighted that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) offered enormous opportunities to investors from Bahrain, especially in the field of energy.

“Pakistan’s geostrategic location makes it a regional economic hub and an energy corridor,” he said. “Likewise, Bahrain’s location makes it an ideal gateway for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.”

While citing that Pakistan was an attractive tourist destination, he invited businessmen from Bahrain to explore the local scenic beauty and benefit from the huge investment opportunities in the sector.

He particularly pointed towards infrastructure projects such as hotels, resorts and parks. “Reciprocally, efforts are also being made to bring tourists from Pakistan to Bahrain.”

Talking about the investment opportunities in food industry, the envoy said that Bahraini investors could pour investment into food storage, processing, packaging and transportation in Pakistan to earn significant profit.

Ayub also talked about the specific issues faced by Pakistani diaspora and expressed his commitment to provide uninterrupted online consular services to the Pakistanis residing in Bahrain.

“I am making sure that embassy officials remain vigilant to ensure optimum facilitation overseas, especially for the skilled labour, which is the country’s real asset,” he said.

“Digitalisation process for strong connectivity of different embassies and consular services for diaspora is underway, which will ultimately help resolve immigrants’ issues.”

Ayub praised Bahrain’s government for effectively tackling the Covid-19 pandemic and said that all five vaccines were available free of cost for all citizens and residents.

“Exchange of business delegations, students, media and tourists is on the cards. Visa fee is reduced to promote people-to-people contacts, and for Bahraini travellers, there is visa-on-arrival facility,” he added.