ISLAMABAD  –  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday inaugurated the first-ever Business Facilitation Centre (BFC) here with a vision to promote ease of doing business and attract investment in Pakistan by providing a one-stop solution to investors and entrepreneurs.

Established by the Board of Investment, the BFC will facilitate the business community by providing a wide range of services, including guidance on regulatory requirements and facilitating business registration, licensing, and permits.

It will serve as a one-stop service, reducing hurdles and facilitating efficient interaction between businesses and government entities.

The prime minister, who was briefed on the center’s functioning, including the investors’ guidance, application for special economic zones, licensing, and payments procedures with drastically reduced timelines, also unveiled the plaque of the project, vowing to replicate it across the country if it fulfills the desired objectives.

He thanked the Minister for Board of Investment Qiaser Ahmed Sheikh, Secretary BOI, and their team for establishing the country’s first-ever facilitation center and particularly for recruiting a highly talented and competent workforce who were engaged in dealing with customers as the prime minister spoke to the gathering.

The prime minister urged all the relevant departments to efficiently run the center to make it a success by facilitating and guiding the investors or people from other sectors, just like other countries.

“Otherwise, this will be nothing more than brick and mortar. That is not my vision… We should welcome customers with a smiling face combined with genuine support without any delay, not even for a second,” he advised.

Prime Minister Shehbaz called for making the facilitation center attractive and popular in other countries and establishing it as a model, paving the way for its replication in other parts of the country.

In his remarks, BOI Minister Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh called the establishment of the center a breakthrough in investment facilitation.

He said that earlier, the investors had to visit various departments to accomplish the required procedures for setting up their businesses; however, the BFC will reduce this hassle, besides remarkably reducing the timelines.

Prime Minister Shehbaz, who also visited different desks of the facilitation center, was told that the investors would be able to submit their applications for setting up special econom-ic zones or other projects at the center, by answering different queries such as the nature of the business, loan and equity structure, target market, export potential, expected em-ployment generation, and utility requirements.

The system will reflect all attached documents as well as an activity log, besides enabling the applicant to track their application, who will also be timely informed about any shortcomings on their part. Federal Ministers Attaullah Tarar, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Ahad Cheema, and Dr Musadik Malik, and senior government officers also attended the event.

Also, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reached out to the leaders of different political parties and assured them of the cooperation and support of the federal government and its institutions to handle the situation caused by the heavy monsoon rains and consequent floods. The prime minister telephoned Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and expressed grief over the loss of lives caused by the torrential rains and urban flooding in Southern Sindh, particularly Karachi. He offered full support from the federal government to assist the Sindh government in addressing the emergency situation.

Prime Minister Shehbaz directed the National Disaster Management Authority Chairman to stay in close coordination with the Sindh government, provide all possible assistance to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, and ensure the early warnings to the people about potential risks.

The prime minister also spoke with Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman and Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.