Pakistan PM invites Turkish firms to expand investment in energy, mining sectors

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a series of meetings with senior executives of Türkiye's leading business groups and industry organizations in Istanbul, reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to strengthening economic cooperation and attracting greater Turkish investment across key sectors of the economy.

The prime minister met with Chairman of Çalık Holding, Ahmet Çalık; Chairman of the Board of Directors of Albayrak Group, Ahmet Albayrak; and the President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB), Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, said a statement issued by Pakistan Prime Minister's Office on Saturday.

During the meetings, the prime minister underscored the deep-rooted brotherly ties between Pakistan and Türkiye and emphasized the importance of translating the two countries' exceptional relationship into a stronger economic and investment partnership.

He highlighted Pakistan's improving macroeconomic fundamentals, investor-friendly policy framework and the government's commitment to ensuring a transparent, predictable and business-friendly investment environment.

The prime minister invited Turkish companies to expand their investment footprint in Pakistan's priority sectors, including energy, mining and minerals, infrastructure, maritime and logistics, information technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, agriculture and privatization. 

He noted that the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), working in close coordination with the relevant federal and provincial authorities, continues to provide one-window facilitation and institutional support for strategic investors.

In his meeting with Çalık Holding, the prime minister emphasized Pakistan's significant opportunities in energy, infrastructure, information technology and privatization.

He welcomed the company's interest in expanding its operations in Pakistan, noting that its existing presence through Çalık Enerji and GAP İnşaat provides a strong foundation for deeper cooperation.

The prime minister also appreciated Albayrak Group's longstanding engagement in Pakistan and encouraged the company to further expand its investments in maritime infrastructure, port modernization and logistics, recognizing its important contribution to Pakistan's connectivity and infrastructure development.

In his meeting with the president of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB), the prime minister appreciated the organization's continued efforts to strengthen business-to-business engagement between Pakistan and Türkiye.

He proposed establishing a structured institutional mechanism for regular interaction between the private sectors of both countries and invited TOBB to lead a high-level business delegation to Pakistan to explore emerging investment opportunities firsthand.

The Turkish business leaders appreciated the Government of Pakistan's economic reforms, improving investment climate and investor-friendly policies.

They expressed confidence in Pakistan's economic outlook and reaffirmed their interest in expanding investments and developing long-term partnerships across a range of strategic sectors, contributing to the growing economic partnership between Pakistan and Türkiye.

PM Sharif meets Turkcell CEO 

Separately, in a meeting with Turkish communication company, Turkcell, the premier underscored the importance of deepening Pakistan–Türkiye cooperation in the digital and technology sectors, sharing Islamabad’s vision of establishing a digital corridor between them to strengthen regional digital connectivity, facilitate secure cross-border data flows, and advance the integration of digital infrastructure. 

Highlighting Pakistan's rapidly evolving digital landscape, the PM invited Turkcell to explore long-term collaboration with institutions in areas including 5G deployment, network optimization, spectrum management, digital infrastructure and technology transfer. 

He also encouraged the company to consider partnerships in the local manufacturing of telecommunications equipment, software development, digital skills development and capacity building, noting that such cooperation would strengthen Pakistan's technology ecosystem while generating opportunities for innovation, employment and sustainable growth.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed commitment to maintain a transparent, predictable and investment-friendly business environment, supported by SIFC, to facilitate strategic investments in high-value sectors, particularly information and communication technologies.

Turkcell Chief Executive Officer CEO appreciated the government ‘s forward-looking digital transformation agenda, expressing company’s keen interest in exploring opportunities for collaboration in telecommunications, digital infrastructure and emerging technologies. 

He reaffirmed the company's commitment to working closely with the relevant Pakistani stakeholders to develop mutually beneficial partnerships that contribute to the shared economic and technological aspirations of Pakistan and Türkiye.