LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan would perform the groundbreaking of the state-of-the-art Allama Iqbal Industrial City, a prioritised project of the Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company’s special economic zone, on January 3rd.
Appreciating the economic policies of PM Imran Khan, FIEDMC Chairman Mian Kashif Ashfaq said on Saturday that the incumbent government was striving hard to ensure economic prosperity 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 Pakistan’s economy, and we must cash in on this sentiment,” he added.
Highlighting the development projects of FIEDMC, he said that around Rs357 billion foreign and local investment would be injected into various projects of the economic zone. “This clearly indicates that investors have reposed complete confidence in the present regime.”
He said that the Allama Iqbal Industrial City would span over 4,000 acres of land, which was strategically located on M-4 Motorway near Sahianwala Interchange, Faisalabad. He added that the main boulevard, entrance gate and boundary wall would 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 operating in various congested localities of the city will also be shifted to this new industrial estate after its completion,” he stated.
Mian Kashif maintained that the FIEDMC development projects were likely to create 250,000 jobs. “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 was facing. According to recent statistics of the World Bank, around 6pc Pakistanis were unemployed.
“In order to resolve this issue, Pakistan would need to create more [employment] opportunities in the future,” the FIEDMC chairman said, adding that trained and skilled labourers and engineers would not only get good jobs in the SEZs but it would also enable Chinese and local companies to find skilled professionals from local areas rather than hiring them from other parts of the country.
He said Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Industries Minister Mian Muhammad Aslam Iqbal have already directed the departments to ensure the provision of basic infrastructure for the mega project. “Faisalabad Divisional Commissioner Ishrat Ali has also set up a special monitoring cell at his office to ensure strict compliance of the PM and CM directives.”
Mian Kashif said that FIEDMC Chief Operating Officer Muhammad Aamer Saleemi has been assigned a special task to form a close liaison with all provincial and federal departments, including Faisalabad Electric Supply Company and Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited, for early completion of the mega project.
