By Asad Cheema
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Industries and Production Muhammad Hammad Azhar Thursday said that the government was utilizing all available resources to revive Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and to develop underprivileged areas of the country those were neglected in previous governments.
While expressing commitment to revive special economic zones, Hammad Azhar talking to a private news channel said the present government was taking “practical steps†to make them instruments of industrial production, economic growth, export promotion and employment generation. He said that the whole world was facing economic difficulties due to COVID-19 outbreak but Prime Minister Imran Khan was determined to put the country on the road of economic development.
He said, “We want to introduce one window operation in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to facilitate the local and foreign investors†. He added that the his government has made serious efforts to promote tourism as an industry in the country to generate revenue and also provide employment opportunities to youth. The incumbent government is not only trying to improve the economy but is also focused on welfare of the people, he said.
He further said the timely completion of ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (CPEC) projects was the top-most priority of the government and CPEC was a new example of joint efforts between Pakistan and Chinese leadership. He said despite all the challenges, Pakistan has successfully completed first phase of CPEC and has entered into second phase. The second phase also involves economic zones, which will increase economic activities and generate massive job opportunities in Pakistan, he added.
Lauding the performance of the CPEC Authority, he said measures must be taken to improve its working as well as capacity. The corridor is a manifestation of Pakistan-China friendship and the Imran Khan’s government will complete it at any cost and every Pakistani would get benefit of it, he reassured.
He said the construction of dams was also top priority of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government to ensure stable supply of energy and food security.
