LAHORE: The chief minister says Pakistan, especially Punjab, has special expertise in the textile and garments sector and a plan has been evolved to establish the state-of-the-art Quaid-i-Azam Apparel Park with the investment of billions of rupees in Punjab where modern facilities will be provided to the investors, workforce, and textile and garments industry.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said it was his dream to make the park the most modern park of South Asia which would be materialised at every cost, says a handout.

He said this during a meeting with a delegation of International Investors Group of textile and garments sector, on Friday. Besides the textile and garments sectors, prospects of cooperation in the project of Quaid-i-Azam Apparel Park were also discussed during the meeting. Provincial ministers Raja Ashfaq Sarwar and Muhammad Shafiq, Adviser on Health Khwaja Salman Rafiq, MPA Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, the chief secretary and the inspector general of police were also present.

The chief minister said a conducive environment had been provided to foreign investors in Punjab. Though Pakistan was facing terrorism and energy crisis, the government was taking solid steps to cope with these challenges, he added.

Mr Sharif said the generation of electricity through cheaper sources was among the priorities of the government. He said terrorism and extremism would be eliminated with the force of unity of the nation. He said that peace was essential for the promotion of investment. The chief minister said after acquiring GSP Plus status by Pakistan, textile and garments exports had increased and Pakistani garments had got easy access to European markets.

International Investors Group Senior Vice-President David Love lauded the policies of the government and said Pakistan had made remarkable progress in the textile and garments sectors. The delegation included Liz O’Neil, Anne Madison and other officials.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2015

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