LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan will perform the groundbreaking ceremony of the state-of-the-art Allama Iqbal Industrial City on Jan 3 to house foreign and local investors besides giving impetus to economic activities in the country.

The industrial city is a mega project of the Special Economic Zone of Faisalabad Industrial Estate Develop-ment and Management Company (FIEDMC) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Appreciating economic policies of the prime minister, FIEDMC Chairman Mian Kashif Ashfaq said on Sunday that the incumbent government was focusing on economic growth in the country. “With trade and investment being an important pillar of the present government’s foreign policy, there is a positive sentiment among the international community towards the country’s economy, which needs to be tapped,” he added.

Highlighting development projects of the FIEDMC, he said that around Rs357 billion foreign and local investment would be injected into various projects, clearly indicating that investors had reposed confidence in the present regime.

He said the new industrial city had been planned over 4,000 acres, strategically located on the M-4 motorway near Sahianwala Interchange, Faisalabad. The main boulevard, entrance gate and boundary wall of the estate will be completed within six months.

According to the plan, new industrial units of different nature will be constructed there. Scattered industrial units already operating in various congested localities of Faisalabad will be shifted to this estate after completion.

Mr Ashfaq claimed that development projects under the FIEDMC were likely to create 250,000 jobs and in order to prepare the youth to find employment opportunities the company is planning to conduct short-term courses to prepare skilled manpower for the purpose.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2019