ISLAMABAD, SEP 22 (DNA) – Federal Minister for Finance and revenue, Shaukat Tarin, held a virtual meeting with Hatem Dowidar, Group CEO Etisalat International at the Finance Division Wednesday.

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 setup a mechanism for fair assessment of properties by hiring internationally renowned evaluation companies.

Hatem Dowidar, CEO Etisalat agreed to this proposal and affirmed to have evaluation of properties completed within a couple of months. Participation of Etisalat in 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. = DNA