A prominent Pakistani-American entrepreneur Tahir Javed says investment would be the best way to finance the construction of Diamer Basha dam in Pakistan’s north and that he plans to soon materialize $200 million for the massive project.
Javed, who is one of the wealthiest Pakistani-Americans and heads Riceland Medical Center and Starco Impex, Inc. dba Wholesale Outlet, explained that Pakistani-Americans can send up to $1 billion a year in donations and it might take years to reach the around $15 billion targeted cost of the project.
On the other hand, if allowed to invest, Pakistani-Americans would be able to generate billions in a much shorter period. The water dam project is different from charity work, the philanthropist, who contributed to Imran Khan’s Shaukat Khanum Hospital, noted.
The Houston-based businessman proposed that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government should invite investment into the project since it would be a commercial undertaking and come up with a detailed business plan. The business leader said his circle of friends and investors in ready to commit $200 million for the water dam, considered crucial to Pakistan’s futuristic agricultural and development requirements.
That would encourage Pakistani-American business to put in billions into the project as they would be promised returns, added the business leader, who also ran primary race for the House of Representative, and was in Washington D.C. on Saturday.
The entrepreneur spoke in the wake of Pakistan’s newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan’s appeal to all overseas Pakistanis to generously contribute to a fund set up for the Diamer Bhasha dam in the north of the country as in the absence of the reservoir Pakistan would face drought like conditions.
Javed, who interacts with top American leaders and is a leading backer of Democrats, said the cause of a productive U.S.-Pakistan relations is close to his heart, and he wishes to see the Pakistani Congressional Caucus grow stronger to advocate the importance of the key relationship.
He said he would be willing to help any effort to strengthen the Caucus and would be doing so in American national interest.
“The U.S. having a close and fruitful relationship with Pakistan is a big American national interest.”
At the same time, he said the Pakistani Caucus, co-led by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, needs to have broader bipartisan membership in order to be effective on the Capitol Hill, and said the well-wishers and supporters of a useful U.S.-Pakistan relationship should back the idea of expanding the Caucus to at least 50 members in a year.
He also saw a renewed vigor among Democrats in the run up to this year’s midterm election as well as for the 2020 election.
