Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday invited businesses from the United States to invest in Pakistan, pointing to the country’s “biggest potential” in agriculture and opportunities in mining, information technology, artificial intelligence, and infrastructure during a meeting with American business councils in New York.

Shehbaz met delegations from the US Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) and the US-Pakistan Business Council (USPBC) on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Business figures from the IT, AI, finance, beverages, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and organic products sectors attended the meeting, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

PM Shehbaz briefed the business representatives on what he called Pakistan’s business-and investment-friendly policies, as well as measures being taken to develop various sectors of the economy.

He described the two councils as “excellent bridges between Islamabad and Washington” and said Pakistan-US relations had improved significantly over the past year.

“Our economy is now stable and moving towards growth,” PM Shehbaz added.

He also linked investment prospects to regional stability, saying Pakistan was making efforts to promote peace and hoped that support from “friends and our brotherly countries” would help achieve long-term peace in the region. “The Gulf crisis came at a difficult time for us,” he said, adding that Pakistan was playing its full role in regional peace efforts.

PM Shehbaz also noted that Pakistan had undertaken “massive structural reforms,” including the digitisation of the economy, Board of Revenue reforms and e-governance, with work continuing at fast pace.

Agriculture was among the sectors the premier identified as having the “biggest potential,” particularly through the use of modern technology and machinery to increase per-acre yields, improve efficiency and reduce production costs. “I mean, today’s technology, today’s modern machineries, be they combiner, harvesters, and other equipment, are helping to enhance our per-acre yield and have more efficiency, high production levels, and economise our costs by saving the last grain,” he said.

Read: Aurangzeb highlights priorities for climate implementation at UNGA

Mining and minerals were another key investment area, with PM Shehbaz saying Pakistan had been blessed with “enormous resources.”

He also highlighted IT and AI-led initiatives, pointing to Pakistan’s young population as an asset that could be developed through vocational and skills training. “Our population is young, and we are doing our best to empower them through vocational training, skill training, et cetera,” the prime minister said.

Further, PM Shehbaz identified energy reserves, ports and shipping as areas offering investment opportunities, saying Pakistan could provide “security and safety” for energy resources including oil and gas.

Privatisation was also discussed, with PM Shehbaz saying it was an important area of interest for investors. He said Pakistan International Airlines had been privatised and that its new Pakistani owners would improve the airline, while power distribution companies were also being prepared for privatisation. “The government’s job is to facilitate private sector business and investment and provide a conducive environment,” PM Shehbaz said.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Special Assistants Tariq Fatemi and Bilal bin Saqib, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Asim Iftikhar and Pakistan’s ambassador to the US Rizwan Ahmed Sheikh.

PM Shehbaz invites Prince Rahim Aga Khan to deepen ties of friendship

Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also met Prince Rahim Aga Khan V in New York, according to a post by the Government of Pakistan on X. The prime minister warmly welcomed Prince Rahim and fondly recalled their meeting earlier this year during the Aga Khan’s visit to Pakistan.

Shehbaz praised Prince Rahim’s commitment to maintaining longstanding friendly and positive relations with Pakistan and reaffirmed his resolve to continue working closely with him to pursue shared goals.

“Prime Minister appreciated the commitment of Prince Rahim Aga Khan to maintaining longstanding friendly and positive relations with Pakistan and reiterated his resolve to continue close cooperation with him for achieving the shared objectives of peace, stability and development,” the government said.

“The Prime Minister appreciated the longstanding services of the Ismaili community in Pakistan’s socio-economic development and highlighted its valuable tradition of service to society and civic engagement,” it said.

PM Shehbaz also appreciated the contributions of institutions affiliated with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) to financial inclusion, tourism, preservation of cultural heritage and economic empowerment through the participation of local communities.

The prime minister “stressed the importance of fully leveraging the vast potential for further cooperation in these areas to promote sustainable and inclusive development in Pakistan”, according to the government.

Prince Rahim thanked the prime minister for his warm sentiments and paid tribute to his efforts for regional peace and stability as the region remained affected by conflict, the government said.

“Prince Rahim Aga Khan reaffirmed his commitment to further strengthening the longstanding partnership between Pakistan and AKDN and expressed his desire to continue and expand cooperation in various areas of human development, particularly healthcare, education, climate resilience and sustainable socio-economic development,” it said.

The prime minister invited Prince Rahim to make regular visits to Pakistan to further strengthen and deepen the longstanding ties of friendship and cooperation between the two sides.

PM Shehbaz meets with UN chief

Separately, PM Shehbaz met UN Secretary-General António Guterres in New York, where they discussed major regional and international developments, including the situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

The prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to multilateralism and the principles of the UN Charter, while reiterating Islamabad’s support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and statehood.

He also raised concerns about what Pakistan called the “rising trend of Islamophobia,” particularly in its immediate neighbourhood, and discussed the increase in terrorism emanating from Afghan soil.

Guterres appreciated Pakistan’s role at the UN, its contribution to international peace and security and its efforts towards the peaceful resolution of conflicts, according to the Pakistani government. The UN spokesperson separately said Guterres had expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s “important role as an elected member of the Security Council” and its support for the UN.