Pakistan’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have expanded from seven in 2019 to 44 by 2025, following the notification of 37 new zones through coordinated efforts led by the Board of Investment, officials told Federal Minister for Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh during a briefing in Islamabad.
The update was shared during the minister’s visit to the Project Management Unit of the CPEC Industrial Cooperation Development Project (PMU CPEC–ICDP), where officials reviewed progress on industrial cooperation and SEZ development under Phase-II of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Officials said PMU CPEC–ICDP serves as the implementation arm of the BOI for industrial cooperation under CPEC, with BOI acting as Pakistan’s lead agency for the Joint Working Group on Industrial Cooperation alongside China’s National Development and Reform Commission. Since its establishment in 2019, the unit has supported the expansion of the SEZ framework and investor facilitation.
The briefing highlighted progress on the Karachi Industrial Park, development initiatives for a Gilgit-Baltistan SEZ, and approval of a land lease policy for BQIP, aimed at addressing structural issues faced by investors. The minister was also informed of BOI’s role in facilitating utility provision to SEZs to help move projects from planning to operational stages.
Officials said Pakistan–China business-to-business engagement remains central to Phase-II, citing the B2B Investment Conference held during the prime minister’s visit to China in September 2025, which led to the signing of more than 160 memoranda of understanding and joint ventures. A follow-up mechanism is in place to convert commitments into investment activity, they added.
The long-term plan for CPEC industrial cooperation has been finalised and is being implemented through an action plan aligned with the transition to CPEC 2.0, focusing on export-oriented manufacturing, technology transfer and value addition, with SEZs positioned as anchor platforms.
The minister was also briefed on planned initiatives in 2026 to mark 75 years of Pakistan–China diplomatic relations, aimed at deepening industrial cooperation. He emphasised continuity and institutional capacity as key to sustaining momentum under CPEC Phase-II and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to investor facilitation and policy coordination.
