ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday expressed displeasure over the delay in the launching of Dhabeji Industrial Zone (DIZ) in Sindh, and urged the provincial government to provide additional 1,500 acres of land it had promised for the project.

The prime minister gave these remarks at a meeting on Special Economic Zones (SEZs) which are being set up in different parts of the country.

Talking to Dawn after the meeting, Mr Khalid Mansoor, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister and chairman of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority, said the prime minister was quite worried about the delay in DIZ due to “baseless and “weak” litigation and urged the Sindh government to pursue the matter with the Sindh High Court (SHC) where a ruling on a petition challenging the award of the contract had been reserved since Dec 6, 2021.

“The petition was filed by one of the contesting firms on ‘baseless and very weak’ grounds and we hope that the court will announce its verdict in a couple of days,” the SAPM said.

Sindh govt urged to provide additional land it promised

Meanwhile, a source said the DIZ was being established on 1500 acres of land in Thatta and the prime minister urged the Sindh government to fulfil its promise of providing an additional 1500 acres for the DIZ so that increasing demand of industrialists could be met.

The CPEC Authority has already submitted an official statement in the Sindh High Court (SHC) expressing satisfaction over the bidding process and claiming that no irregularity had been committed in the award of the contract.

According to a document of Sindh Economic Zones Management Company (SEZMC), the DIZ would be declared Special Economic Zone (SEZ) later.

Multi-billion DIZ will be developed under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) by successful bidder Zahir Khan and Brothers (ZKB) and the Government of Sindh, is a part of CPEC and thus it may be given the status of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) later on.

However, the award of the contract was challenged in the Sindh High Court (SHC) with a plea that the rules of Special Economic Zones had not been followed in the award of the contract.

Raise in workers’ wages urged

Meanwhile, in a meeting with the country’s top industrialists, Prime Minister Imran Khan urged them to trickle down effects of boosting up of their businesses to their workers by increasing their wages.

“The government is cognizant of the impacts of global price hike upon the people and all steps are being taken to save the common man from effects of the price increase,” he said.

He also urged the industrialists and businessmen to support the government in its efforts to provide relief to the common man.

During the meeting, it was agreed to increase the maximum monthly wages of workers.

The industrialists who attended the meeting included Saqib Shirazi (Honda Atlas), Ali Asghar Jamali (Indus Motors), Ghayyas-ud-din Khan (Engro), Sikandar Mustafa (Millat Tractors), Hamid Zaman (SEFAM), Shahid Abdullah (Sapphire), Khurram Mukhtar (Pakistan Textile Exporters Association), Zahid Bashir (Gul Ahmad), Azam Farooq (Chirat Cement), Khalil Sattar (K&N) and Abdul Raheem and Gohar Ejaz (APTMA).

Due to business friendly policies of the government, 10 top companies of the country had posted a profit of Rs929 billion last year, he said, adding that the PTI’s government had taken historic steps for promotion of investment and businesses which had never been introduced by any past government.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2022