PM says critical to create job opportunities for growing population

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday directed officials to take all possible measures to provide land, electricity and gas connections as well as tax incentives to attract more and more Chinese companies to invest in Pakistan and populate the Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

“Pakistan needs investment to accelerate industrialization,” the Prime Minister said while chairing a meeting on facilitating the Chinese investors in SEZs.

“It is critical to create maximum employment opportunities for our growing population, 65% of which is under the age of 35”, he added.

Earlier, the Prime Minister was briefed that out of the total of 27 SEZs in the country, work on five SEZs including Dhabeji in Sindh, Rashakai in KPK, Bostan in Balochistan, Allama Iqbal Industrial City in Punjab, and Gwadar in Balochistan was in full swing.

An effective one window operation facility was being set up at each of these SEZs along with a Facilitation Center at China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority to resolve all issues of the potential Chinese investors under one roof, he was told.

The meeting was attended by Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong, Federal Ministers Shaukat Tarin, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Asad Umar, Muhammad Hammad Azhar, Advisor on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood, Special Assistant to PM on CPEC Affairs Khalid Mansoor and senior officers concerned.