Government directs Pakistani missions to promote CPEC SEZs

LAHORE: Adviser to the Prime Minster on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood on Wednesday said trade and investment officers in Pakistan’s missions abroad will be given special marketing tasks to bring maximum investment in Allama Iqbal Industrial City (AIIC).

AIIC is a prioritised Special Economic Zone of Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) working under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“These trade and investment officers working in more than 50 countries will be bound to link the expected investors with one window operation of FIEDMC and update the administration of these economic zones about the trade possibilities of their designated countries for promoting and marketing of Pakistani products which would help the country enhancing volume of exports,” said the adviser while talking to Mian Kashif Ashfaq, chairman FIEDMC in a meeting. “Besides this, the ministry has already tasked its trade and investment officers posted abroad to explore new and viable markets for our new products and to ensure that export orders of Pakistani exporters were not canceled.” Dawood said the government was committed to bring out comprehensive solutions for sustaining the economic growth in the wake of global COVID-19 outbreak. “The government is also committed to shifting the country from being a consumption-driven economy to an investment-driven one”.

FIEDMC chief Mian Kashif Ashfaq, highlighting the distinctive features of Allama Iqbal Industrial City to adviser, said this sole project would house as many as 400 industries besides giving employments to 250,000 people. He said approximately Rs450 billion foreign and local investments would be pumped into this project and development project is being carried out on fast track. Ashfaq further said FIDEMC had always provided state of the art facilities to its customers besides resolving their issues through one window operation on top priority basis, while the confidence of the investors was being restored after completion of M3 project.