Higher number of expatriate business visitors traveled to Pakistan, says security survey

KARACHI: Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) have reported, in their annual security survey, that a higher number of expatriate business visitors have traveled to Pakistan during the last year due to an improvement in security concerns.

The survey respondents, conducted in June 2017, experienced a reduction in street crimes, with a 69 per cent reduction in petty crimes and a 90pc decrease in high intensity crimes.

Respondents across Pakistan reported a major reduction in crime as compared to 2016, ranging from 94pc decrease in Lahore, closely followed by rest of Punjab and KPK (93pc) and Karachi (92pc), said the survey’s report.

“The 2017 survey once again reaffirms that threats and security concerns have substantially reduced in Pakistan for all key stakeholders of businesses including OICCI members. The security environment has substantially improved not only for the survey participants, meaning foreign investors, but also for their customers, suppliers and employees,” said OICCI President Khalid Mansoor.

He added that feedback points to a clear appreciation by the foreign investors of the various initiatives of the government and the security agencies in proactively tackling security, law and order challenges which had serious repercussions on the image of the country as a safe destination for foreign direct investment (FDI).