Pakistan seeks deeper US investment ties in Houston

According to Mettis Global, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, the federal minister overseeing the Board of Investment, has invited Pakistani-American entrepreneurs and investors to examine opportunities across several sectors. Addressing a Houston event attended by business figures and professionals, he listed information technology, food processing, textiles, automobiles, logistics, tourism and housing as areas of interest. The Pakistan American Congress, which brings together Pakistani associations across North America, organised the gathering.

He said the government is cutting unnecessary procedures and compliance burdens while making regulations more transparent. The Cabinet Committee on Regulatory Reforms and the Board of Investment are modernising rules and streamlining approvals, he added. Eligible Special Economic Zone developers and enterprises may receive a single exemption from duties on imported capital equipment, along with income-tax relief up to 2035, subject to legal provisions.

Sheikh also described the country's youthful population as a productive resource, arguing that investment in technology, skills and export-focused industries could widen employment. He urged diaspora investors to build partnerships in Pakistan, especially to connect local firms with overseas markets, technology and capital. The discussions also covered the economic outlook, exports and possible areas of bilateral business cooperation.