He said at the ceremony that the project is part of CPEC, and a flagship project of KP economic zone development and project company and China Road and Bridge Corporation. It will create 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.
“A nation can’t progress without industrialisation,” he added.
The project is spread over 1,000 acres. It will include industries like textile, medical, food and beverages, and engineering.
The prime minister said that KP government will ensure land on the zone is not sold but leased out at low rates. This is to bring in investors and not people who are only interested in increasing land prices.
He said that there will be one-window operation to make it an
investor-friendly project. “Pakistan is not an investor-friendly country. We don’thave the mindset to encourage investors. We get them tangled up in bureaucratichurdles.”
Next step in CPEC is establishing industrial zones, which will
increase our exports, PM said.
The prime minister then spoke about economic growth and said his government, despite criticism, believed in striking a balance between lockdowns and allowing economic activity. Due to this, economic growth is up at 4%, he said. “Opponents don’t believe us, they are saying we are lying,” he said.
