Staff Reporter
Lahore
Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the state-of-the-art Allama Iqbal Industrial City under CPEC during the last week of instant month to house foreign and local investors, besides giving impetus to economic activities in the country.
Appreciating the economic policies of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) Chairman Mian Kashif Ashfaq on Friday said that the incumbent government focused on the economic growth in the country.
“With trade and investment being an important pillar of the present government’s foreign policy, there is a positive sentiment among the international community towards the country’s economy, which needs to be tapped,” he added.
Highlighting the development projects of FIEDMC, Ashfaq said that around Rs 357 billion foreign and local investment will be injected into various projects, which clearly indicates that investors have reposed complete confidence in the present regime.
He said that Allama Iqbal Industrial City has been planned over an area of 4000 acres, which is strategically located on Motorway M-4 near Sahianwala Interchange, Faisalabad. He said that main boulevard, entrance gate and boundary wall will be completed within six months.
According to the plan, new industrial units of different nature would be constructed in the Allama Iqbal Industrial City. Scattered industrial units are already operating in various congested localities of the city which would also be shifted to this new industrial estate after its completion,” he added.
Mian Kashif said vary development projects under FIEDMC is likely to create 250, 000 jobs and in order to prepare Pakistani youth to find employment opportunities, FIEDMC is planning to conduct short-term courses to train the aspirants in the respective fields, for which they align their future courses accordingly.
“Unemployment is one of the major challenges which the Pakistani government is facing. According to recent statistics of the World Bank, about 6 percent Pakistanis are unemployed. And to solve this issue, Pakistan needs to create more jobs in the future,” adding he said that the trained and skilled labor and engineers will not only get good jobs in the SEZs, but also enable Chinese and local companies to find skilled professionals from local areas rather than hiring them from other parts of the country.
He further said all industries within the export processing zone will be exempted from tax for a period of 10 years and plants, machinery, raw material and other equipment will be imported duty-free.
The FIEDMC chairman said that the importance of CPEC as a strategic alternative is immense, leveraging the economic opportunities that it can unleash its strategic significance and bring prosperity, peace, as well as stability in the whole region.
