ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's economy managers have drawn out an aggressive marketing plan to attract nothing less than $5 billion in short- to medium-term privatization projects including sales of portfolio as well as strategic shares of the energy and financial sector entities. According to a senior government official, though the foreign direct investment (FDI) through privatization does not generate any economic activity, afresh, to ease down unemployment and poverty pressure, it could help arrest increasing balance of payment gap. Going in agreement with the argument against time-wise plausibility of privatization program acceleration in the wake of world economic slow down, he said, Pakistan would be offering mega investors lesser-cost and higher-return investment opportunities. "For instance we have shares of already privatized financial institutions that could lure multimillion dollars by public or even private offerings abroad," the official said. "Although the Prime Minister has halted the privatization project of the Qadirpur gas filed, we have a number of other entities from the energy sector ready for sale including power generation as well as distribution," he informed TheNation. According to the official, state-owned oil and gas sector has a number of entities even excluding the Qadirpur Gas field, which are ready for privatization including Pakistan Petroleum Limited, Pakistan State Oil for strategic sales and shares of SSGC, and the OGDCL for foreign offerings. Issuing Global Depository Receipts (GDRs) of the Habib Bank Limited, and that of the OGDCL fetch Pakistan foreign investment to the tune of about a billion dollars, he added. "Out-of-the-mode privatization transactions ready on the point of sale include Pakistan International Airline and Pakistan Railways that have been subjected to retrogression due to indecision on the part of the successive governments whether to privatize them or not," the official said. Other than this, he said, the project in, smoother, pipeline as compared to the PIA, and the Railways, included Heavy Electrical Complex, SME Bank, while in power sector Jamshoro Power Company and Faisalabad Electricity Supply Company were also ready for sale, he added. Kot Addu Power Company was also a sound project that could be highly attractive for the foreign investors willing to own stake in power generation in Pakistan having very well established mechanisms by now. "However, it has been on hold, so far, awaiting the tariff issues to be resolved by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority and the Private Power Infrastructure Board, he told this scribe. "Not to mention," the official said, "Services International Hotel, and Machine Tool Factory also invite significant investments be that by the local or foreign investors. Last but not least, we could also go for initial public offering (IPO) of Pakistan Steel if the political issues would impede its strategic sale," he maintained.