The Sindh caretaker government has proposed the creation of a modern export processing zone on Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) land, seeking to boost exports through the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).
This initiative aims to repurpose over 10,000 acres of the currently reserved PSM land, a move away from privatization and towards rehabilitation of the facility.
However, this plan has faced opposition from the PSM Corporation Stakeholders Group, which has appealed to interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar for a review. The group warns that the project could have detrimental financial impacts on PSM, suggesting the zone could be located elsewhere without affecting the mill’s potential revival. They emphasize that PSM’s revival is crucial for providing competitive raw materials to the engineering and construction sectors, pointing to significant daily losses and the lack of a professional board of directors as critical issues.
The proposal follows a meeting between key officials, including the caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar and interim Federal Minister for Industries and Commerce Dr. Gohar Ejaz, indicating high-level support for the project.
Despite this, the Stakeholders Group’s concerns highlight a tension between new industrial initiatives and the preservation of existing industries, underscored by a 2019 Supreme Court decision that restricts the sale of PSM land to steel production or related uses.
modern export zone will be used to export pure pakistani bullshit.