Pakistan to offer permanent residency to wealthy Afghans, Chinese to boost weak economy

Pakistan government on Friday announced that it has decided to offer permanent residency to foreign nationals in a bid to attract investment and boost its flagging economy and national growth. Pakistan’s Information Minister Faw Chaudhry through an overnight tweet announced that new scheme, which he said would attract rich Afghans, Chinese, Sikhs living in Cana and USA. new scheme is in line with new National Security Policy, which was formally launched by PM Imran Khan on Friday. 

Imran Khan-led government believes that it will fetch billions of dollars of foreign investment by giving Pakistani nationality and proprietary rights to foreign investors. Express Tribune reported that Chaudhry has stated that one of purposes of opening PR scheme was to attract rich Afghans, who were moving to Turkey, Malaysia and some or countries following fall of Kabul last August. “y needed to be incentivised,” Chaudhry said.

ditionally, Pakistan minister ded that scheme targets Sikhs living in Cana and US, who were willing to invest in religious sites, especially in Kartarpur Corridor but h no option to do so. Chaudhry said that third objective of scheme was to incentivise Chinese nationals, who wish to move or establish industrial units in Pakistan. 

“It’s a historic step… for first time in history of Pakistan foreigners are being allowed to invest in real estate sector,” he said.

Pakistan’s first-ever National Security Policy 

Meanwhile, Imran Khan on Friday launched country’s first-ever National Security Policy, which articulates a citizen-centric framework, placing economic security at its core. While unveiling policy, Pakistan PM h stated that for first time, National Security Division has developed a consensus document that defines national security in a proper way. According to reports, main mes of National Security Policy are national cohesion, securing an economic future, defence and territorial integrity, internal security, foreign policy in a changing world and human security.

" policy puts economic security at core. A stronger economy would create ditional resources which would n be distributed to furr bolster military and human security,” National Security visor Moeed Yusuf said.

When asked about message it sends to India, Yusuf said: “it tells India to do right thing and jump on bandwagon to benefit from regional connectivity to uplift our peoples. It also tells India, if you don't want to do right thing, it will be a loss to entire region, but most of all India.”

Image: PTI