Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, in his address, said after 2020, the establishment of nine industrial zones was agreed under CPEC but the previous government put all the projects to the back-burner. The officers were implicated in false cases which begot a crisis of decision making, he added.
He said the incumbent government took up the SEZs on priority basis and started reviving the stalled projects like the Rashakai SEZ which was about to be inaugurated.
Emphasising the execution of 5E framework, the minister said the country had no other option but to take its exports to $100 billion and the SEZ would act as a powerhouse for the purpose.
He suggested that land should be provided on easy terms to the investors for the SEZs.
Federal Minister for Industries and Production Makhdoom Syed Murtaza said with the establishment of Islamabad Model Special Economic Zone, a longstanding demand of the Federal Capital’s industrial community would be addressed.
Highlighting his ministry’s performance, he said they addressed the anomalies in the processes like the import of solar panels and that the petrochemical and coal gas policies would be finalised by July 30.
He called for taking advantage of Pakistan’s cheap labour and an ease of doing business environment in the country.
Secretary Board of Investment Asad Rehman Gillani said that the PM’s vision of “investors are my masters” gave the government machinery a strength to execute the projects.
He told the gathering that the SEZs would help develop the people-to-people and business-to-business contacts.
He said the Islamabad SEZ would be established over 1000 acres of land on the junction of N-5 and Islamabad Expressway, and would create around 1,000 jobs. Another industrial zone was already functional in the nearby area, he added.
The BOI secretary said the industry with low-carbon footprints would be established in the Zone which would bring in an investment of around $2.5 billion.