THE details and outcome of the five-day visit of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to Japan convey a vivid impression that it was meticulously planned to enlist Japanese cooperation to improve governance and service delivery.
During her interaction with Japanese officials and representatives of important companies, she successfully marketed the province as a lucrative market for prospective investors and vowed to offer necessary incentives and cooperation to them for investment and joint ventures. She invited Japanese investors to set up manufacturing and assembly units in Punjab’s twenty operational Special Economic Zones (SEZs), assuring provision of free land and tax-free facilities.
As in the case of her result-oriented China visit, the visit to Japan, the first by a Chief Minister of Pakistan, will hopefully go a long way in ensuring access of the province to modern technology and management methods, which are hallmarks of Japanese development. This is evident from the ambitious plan unveiled by the CM to transform Lahore and other cities in Punjab on the model of Yokohama, Japan’s second-largest city renowned for its advanced urban planning, environmental sustainability and industrial development. Maryam inspected Japan’s largest wastewater treatment plant and was briefed on Yokohama’s solid waste and wastewater systems that treat 1.5 million litres daily and generate energy from waste to heat local homes. The CM expressed determination to introduce similar systems in major cities of Punjab and successful implementation of the plan has the potential to resolve the problem of waste management on a sustainable basis. Similarly, she also explored possibilities for introducing a high-speed train between Lahore and Islamabad and upgrading railway infrastructure using Japanese expertise. In a related move, she reviewed innovative Japanese transport projects such as chairlifts and air cabins for urban transit. The intention to initiate community welfare centres on the pattern of those in Japan will ensure quality learning and skill development of youth. One must appreciate the Chief Minister for her dynamic vision to take Punjab to the heights of technology on the model of Japan. We, however, fervently hope that a time-bound transfer of technology should form the corner-stone of cooperation in view of not so good experience of transfer of technology in the auto sector.
