LAHORE (APP) - Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif Thursday urged the private sector to invest in agriculture and industry to boost the economy of the country. Investors in the private sector are masters of the economic direction of the country, he said while addressing a 'Punjab Investment Conference 2010 held under the auspices of the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) at a local hotel. He said local investment and investment from overseas Pakistanis was a priority in the economic policy of his government while foreign investment came later. Forget about foreign investment for the time-being since the law and order situation, though improving, is not favourable for foreign investors at present, he stressed. He reiterated his resolve to boost the economy of the province though investment might have suffered due to the law and order situation. He said the Punjab govt had provided all possible training and intelligence sharing techniques to its security agencies and was ready for any challenge by terrorists. The Chief Minister said he had doubled salaries of policemen and given a 300 percent raise to the judiciary to enhance their working and ensure the protection to life and property of the people. Expressing concern over the performance of police and judiciary, he said the institutions had not yielded good results despite huge investment from the public exchequer. I am answerable to the masses who have elected me as Chief Minister of Punjab, he added. He urged the lower judiciary to be transparent in their decisions to dispense justice to the masses. He urged police to protect life and property of people of Punjab and maintain law and order in the province, adding that peace and security were prerequisites for foreign investment in the country. No development can take place until people are safe in a country, he said. He assured investors in the private sector that the government would provide them with a level-playing field in the province. PBIT: After a successful Turkey tour and an investment commitment of over USD600 million, Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) has dovetailed this success by organizing an international investment conference at a local hotel on Thursday. According to a hand out issued here on Wednesday about 50 CEOs from Hong Kong, China, Turkey, Malaysia, UK, US and Canada have been invited as delegates and over 300 local business people are participating the conference to brand Punjabs investment areas. Pir Saad Ahsanuddin, Advisor to the Chief Minister Punjab on Economic Affairs and Vice Chairman CEO PBIT said that these mega investment events show investors that Punjab is not only a province with positive statistics, but a province of professionals, a province that has the political will to create a business-friendly environment. Today we want to demonstrate to the international and local business community that in Punjab, we all work together at various levels to create synergy and results. The international investment conference is a landmark event that would be inaugurated by Chief Minister Punjab, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and will include speeches and presentations by international business people like Mr. Sherif Seddik, Regional Director of Microsoft NWPA and Pakistani business tycoons alike. Sector experts to highlight investment positives for agriculture, livestock, mines and minerals, energy and power construction and urban development and education and health have orchestrated the conference. A private sector representative will moderate each sector and highlight the challenges and opportunities for that investment area.