PM Imran directs to complete establishment of SEZs at earliest

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday directed to complete establishment of special economic zones (SEZs) on priority basis, ARY News reported.

Presiding over a high-level meeting to review progress on the economic zones (SEZs), PM Imran said that the zones would create business opportunities and help boost economic activities in the country.

He directed the federal and provincial departments to expedite work on the economic zones and remove all the hurdles in this regard.

The prime minister said that ease of doing business and provision of all possible facilities to business community were the government’s top priorities. PM Imran said the government was committed to solve problems of the business community.

On the occasion, PM Imran sought details of tax exemptions on import of medical equipment and machinery used in the hospitals. The meeting review progress on special economic zones in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Chief ministers of Punjab and KP, Federal Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Commerce, Textile, production and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood and others were present in the meeting.

The prime minister was informed that work on Allama Iqbal Industrial City Faisalabad will be completed by the end of this year, while Quaid-e-Azam Apparel Park and Bahawalpur Industrial Estate projects be completed by March next year.

He was told that Rashakai Economic Zone will be completed by June next year.

PM Khan was told that establishment of new business zones in various districts of Punjab will create employment opportunities to hundreds of thousands of young people.

A proposal to set up cottage business and resident parks was also presented in the meeting to promote small and medium businesses.

He was briefed that in the first phase, cottage business parks will be established in ten districts of Punjab to promote small and medium businesses, which will be gradually extended to other districts as well.

Earlier on August 9, PM Imran Khan had said the government had a priority to make Special Economic Zones (SEZs) fully functional at the earliest and provide electricity, gas, water, road infrastructure there.

He was speaking at a briefing on the current condition of special economic zones in the country, provision of necessary facilities to the industries in the zones, and strategy to make them functional, in Islamabad.

Khan had said it was important to make SEZs fully operational for expediting industrial development in the country and solving problems of the business community.