Industrial estate: minister says PIEMDC has identified 4 places, asks ICCI to choose one

ISLAMABAD: Punjab’s Industry and Commerce Minister S M Tanveer said that on his instructions, Punjab Industrial Estate Management and Development Company (PIEMDC) has identified four places for establishment of industrial estate by Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) and stressed that the Chamber should finalise one of them to expedite the completion of industrial estate project.

He said this while addressing the business community at the ICCI.

S M Tanveer said that promoting industrialisation, enhancing exports, increasing remittances and development of agriculture will have to be focused to revive the economy.

He said Pakistan had immense potential for development, and product development with the help of professionals was being focused on to improve exports. He said he was also working on various initiatives for economic empowerment of women. He said that as long as he was working as minister in Punjab, he would continue to play a role in solving the key issues of the business community.

Punjab’s Excise & Communications Minister Bilal Afzal said that due to his efforts, funds had been released for the rehabilitation of Kahuta Road, while other roads covering 2600 kilometres will also be repaired. He said business community should send the issues related to excise and communication department through their respective chambers of commerce and every possible effort would be made to solve them. He said proposals of the chambers would be included in the annual development plan of Punjab.

United Business Group Chairman Shahzad Ali Malik said that his group would bring forward young business leaders from the platform of FPCCI so that they could play their effective role in the economic development of the country. He was confident that UBG would win the upcoming elections of FPCCI. He said that a coordination committee had been formed to solve the problems of the business community in Punjab, while the issues of business community in other provinces would also be addressed.

ICCI President Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, in his address, stressed that at least 10-year economic policies should be formulated for the better promotion of business and investment, because the continuity of policies was very important for the development of the economy.

He said that successful business leaders of the country should be inducted in the federal and provincial cabinets so that they could play their role in improving the economy. He said the business community could bring the economy out of the current crisis with unity and consensus.

He said that chambers of commerce sent budget proposals to the government every year, but they were not implemented, so a think tank should be formed to review the proposals of the chambers to include them in the final budget. He thanked S M Tanveer for identifying four sites for Industrial Estate of ICCI and said that ICCI would soon finalise one of them to move forward on this important project.

Senior Vice President ICCI Faad Waheed said that to increase exports, Pakistan had to focus on product development and stressed that the government should cooperate with the private sector in that regard.

Vice President ICCI Engr Azhar ul Islam Zafar said that S M Tanveer was very active in solving the problems, so the business community should take full advantage of his services.

Khalid Iqbal Malik, group leader, stressed the importance of industrialisation and hoped that the industrial estate project of ICCI would be completed soon with the support of the Punjab Government.

Zafar Bakhtavari, former President and Secretary General UBG, said the government spent billions of dollars on imports every year, “while we need to promote exports better, so the government should focus on imports substitutions to improve the economy.”

Aamir Atta Bajwa, Jawad Kazmi, Malik Manzoor, Chaudhry Mukhtar, Khalid Javed, Muhammad Ejaz Abbasi, Ajamal Baloch, Shahid Ghafoor Pracha, President of Rawalpindi Small Chamber Tariq Jadoon and others also spoke on the occasion and gave useful suggestions to revive the economy.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023