Federal Minister for Finance and revenue, Shaukat Tarin, held a virtual meeting with Group CEO Etisalat International, Hatem Dowidar, at the Finance Division today.

Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Syed Amin-ul-Haque, Federal Secretary Finance Division, Federal Secretary Information Technology, Secretary Privatization, and other senior officers also participated in the meeting.

In his opening remarks, the Finance Minister underscored the significance of resolving outstanding issues and moving ahead for a sustainable solution with all stakeholders on board. The Finance Minister further stated to set up a mechanism for a fair assessment of properties by hiring internationally renowned evaluation companies.

CEO of Etisalat, Hatem Dowidar, agreed to this proposal and affirmed to have an evaluation of properties completed within a couple of months. Participation of Etisalat in the recent auction of spectrum in Pakistan affirms its commitment to Pakistan’s telecommunication sector. Both sides agreed to proceed ahead for resolution of all outstanding issues between Etisalat and the Privatization Commission in a spirit of goodwill.

In his concluding remarks, the Finance Minister said that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the major economic partners of Pakistan. The expatriates from Pakistan settled in the UAE contribute significantly through remittances to enhance foreign currency reserves. Pakistan attaches great value to the brotherly relations with the UAE and intends to further strengthen business and trade linkages between the two countries, he added.

Source: ProPakistani