Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, touted his country Friday as a promising arena for Utah business owners eager to expand internationally.

Haqqani, who was named Pakistan's ambassador in May, told Utah business leaders gathered at a luncheon sponsored by The World Trade Center of Utah there are many opportunities in his country, particularly in the areas of energy and agricultural development.

"Anyone who is involved in power production and energy development would be welcomed with open arms to Pakistan," Haqqani said, pointing out that his country currently is plagued by a shortage of power generating facilities.

And much the same can be said of Pakistan's agricultural industry.

In recent years, Pakistan's government was run by "urban sophisticates" who had little use for "rural yahoos," Haqqani said. Consequently, Pakistan saw under-investment in agriculture despite its vast territory and long agricultural tradition.

Edward Jackson of Salt Lake City-based Sweetwater International, an agricultural management concern that currently is managing the construction of a dairy in northern Pakistan, agreed that there are opportunities up for grabs.

"Nestle Foods operates a processing plant there that every day is short 200,000 liters of milk [to meet demand], and that is just what is necessary to serve their existing customer base," Jackson said.

Lew Cramer, chief executive of the World Trade Center of Utah, noted that last year Utah exports to Pakistan were valued at $25.5 million. "That is particularly impressive considering the total was only $800,000 just five years ago."

Of those exports, over 96 percent involved transportation equipment, with the second largest category machinery and manufacturing supplies.

Haqqani said the political uncertainty that marked Pakistan's past is now abating with a new democratic government that he described as committed to the rule of law and providing the necessary protection for all investors in the country.

Cramer said one of the keys to successfully doing business in Pakistan is finding the right partner. And Haqqani said he is willing to help Utah businesses make the right connections so they can be successful in his country.

Still, Cramer said Utah business owners who want to do business in Pakistan should have a "high risk tolerance" for ambiguity and "long-term returns."