Our Correspondent
Faisalabad
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said that the country’s Special Economic Zones will provide Chinese industries the requisite environment to relocate to Pakistan.
“There are many industries that wish to relocate from China. We had yet to provide them the environment for them to relocate to Pakistan. This special economic zone is that environment that China seeks,” said the prime minister. “China’s Premier Li had said clearly that if we provide them the environment, they will push Chinese industries to Pakistan. “They will not only invest in Pakistan, but transfer technology and increase our productivity,” said the premier.
The premier’s remarks came after he performed the groundbreaking of the state-of-the-art Allama Iqbal Industrial City in Faisalabad.
The industrial city, meant for housing foreign and local investors besides giving impetus to economic activities in the country, is a mega project of the Special Economic Zone of Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor .Imran Khan said that China uplifted 700 million people from poverty in three decades which is unprecedented in the world history. Eulogizing the Chinese model of development, he said Chinese investors and entrepreneurs are keen to invest in various sectors of the country.
He said Chinese businesses are also willing to transfer vital technology to Pakistan, adding that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a golden chance for the country to develop.
Imran Khan said industrialization, leading to increased exports, is key to eradicate poverty from the country, adding that the specialized economic zone is a major step towards the realization of the CPEC. Dubbing industrialization as major source of employment creation in the country, he said pace of industrialization in Pakistan was very fast in 1960s. But, unfortunately this lost momentum due to policies adopted in 1970s. “Pakistan’s future is linked to industrial development but the wheel of industrial development was stopped by campaigning against the capitalists,” the prime minister said and added it will be difficult to provide employment to the youth if we do not move towards industrial development.
