Overseas Pakistanis to get dedicated platform to invest in infrastructure

Mettis Global reported that the federal authorities are weighing a special vehicle that would let overseas Pakistanis back major infrastructure schemes without setting up or running local businesses. Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema proposed an investment fund or comparable platform, and an official statement said it would offer transparent opportunities with safeguards and defined returns. Adviser on Privatisation Muhammad Ali supported the plan and agreed to examine it as a workable framework.

Cheema said the scheme could direct overseas savings into productive assets such as railways and highways, adding a further financing route for infrastructure. The review covered PPP schemes in rail, road, electricity, civic and airport segments. On ML-1, multilateral and development partners remain the first financing priority, with the Karachi-Rohri stretch pursued alongside the Asian Development Bank and PPP funding kept as a secondary option for other sections.

Cheema also asked P3A to test whether the Lahore-Rawalpindi section could be built under a PPP model, citing possible travel time savings between the two cities. The meeting also looked at the Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway, the AMI smart metering scheme for power distributors, the Gandhara Culture project and an expansion of Capital Hospital. Authorities were told to refine the pipeline and move feasible schemes toward bankable status with defined schedules, while mature schemes go to the prime minister after periodic high-level reviews.