PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Caretaker Minister for Industries, Commerce, Technical Education and Newly Merged Districts Affairs, Dr. Aamer Abdullah has said that bringing useful reforms in the governance system with the passage of time is essential for the promotion of business and investment activities.
Speaking as a chief guest at a consultation workshop held in a local hotel regarding possible reforms in the rules and regulations for the business and investment sector here on Thursday, the Caretaker Minister said that he wants to improve the rules and regulations while keeping the public interest and rights in mind.
The workshop was jointly organized by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade (KP-BoIT) and the Federal Board of Investment (BoI) (Prime Minister’s Office). Besides, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Secretary Industries Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, High ups of KPBoIT, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Oil and Gas Company Limited, Nasir Khan, officials of the Board of Investment (BoI), Muhammad Ali, Ali Waheed and Mahmood Tufail, focal persons from various provincial government departments also participated in the workshop.
He said that in bringing reforms, it is important to pay special attention to the principle of balance between the needs of the economy and the public interest, because the imbalance condition in this regard may lead to the neglect of the rights of the people.
The caretaker minister added that for promotion of business activities and investment, the world has gone a long way in providing a friendly environment for work and bringing rules and regulations. Therefore, he said that we should also have to take effective steps in this regard and try to reach global standards.
In the workshop, various ideas were presented to make the service delivery system friendly in connection to business and investment, while suggestions were given to include these ideas in the rules and regulations.
The provincial minister said public sector reforms and bringing positive changes in the service delivery system is necessary measure, which should have been taken earlier. He said that in such kind of reforms, the views of the stakeholders and their point of view should be taken into account, while maintaining a balanced between the interests of the people and the needs of the economy is also indispensable for the effectiveness and efficiency of these rules and regulations.
He said that holding such consultative workshop in collaboration with KP-BOIT and the BoI regarding regulatory reforms and capacity building is an exemplary effort.
He said that the caretaker provincial government will provide all possible support in this regard and expressed the hope that the next elected government will also maintain this continuity.
In the workshop, the officials of KP Board of Investment and Trade informed the participants about the ease and facilities provided for doing business and investment in the province.
Later, the organizers of the consultative workshop presented shields to the Caretaker Minister and Secretary Industries.