By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Chief Minister of Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Mahmood Khan on Wednesday inaugurated the Jalozai Economic Zone in Peshawar, capital of the province.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony, the chief minister said the provincial government has put the province on the track of development by promoting industrialization through such initiatives.
While expressing determination of his government to pace up work on development amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Khan said the government is making all-out efforts to bring foreign investment in the hydropower industry, mines and minerals and tourism sectors.
Sprawling over an area of 257 acres, the major industries in the Jalozai Economic Zone are expected to be pharmaceuticals, food processing, construction, marble and granite, ceramics and wood with a potential to generate 10,000 direct and over 41,000 indirect jobs, according to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company (KPEZDMC).
Due to its strategic location, the industrial products from the economic zone are expected to be in high demand domestically and internationally, particularly in Afghanistan and Central Asian countries, said the KPEZDMC. Pakistan will also set up nine special economic zones under the CPEC across Pakistan as part of the industrial cooperation between the two countries. According to Pakistani government officials, the development of the special economic zones is crucial for the country to attract investment, create jobs and facilitate economic development.
