TOBA TEK SINGH: The maiden computer chip manufacturing unit of Pakistan will be established in Faisalabad, while the government has already allotted 50 acres of land for the construction of a state-of-the-art expo centre in M-3 Industrial Estate, says Chaudhary Shafay Hussain, Provincial Minister for Industries, Commerce and Investment.

As per a press release issued on Thursday, the minister was addressing the business community at the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) on Wednesday night.

He said that the chip-manufacturing unit will boost the mobile phone assembling plants already operating in Faisalabad, Karachi and Lahore.

He said the proposed expo centre may be constructed with funding from Export Development Fund (EDF).

The unit will boost mobile phone assembling sector

Mr Hussain said the government has made key decisions for the expeditious colonisation of M3 and Allama Iqbal industrial estates.

He said that a community centre will be constructed, in addition to the completion of a boundary wall and establishment of a monitoring cell, for the foreigners working on the M3 and Allama Iqbal industrial estates.

The minister said that steps are being taken to provide banking and commercial facilities to the industrial units operating in these industrial estates. He said that similar steps are also being taken to fully colonise the industrial estates across the province.

He said that the government has initiated a programme to enhance cotton production and in this respect high-yield and disease-resistant seeds are being developed through R&D.

About the Small Industrial Estate in Faisalabad, he said its infrastructure issues are being resolved, while Punjab government is also offering interest-free loans under Asan Karobar Scheme.

He said three women training centres would be established during 2026 in Gujrat, Layyah and Sahiwal, while Faisalabad would also get this facility in the second phase.

He said that Faisalabad and Shymkent, a city of Kazakhstan are being declared twin cities, which will open new avenues of cooperation between these major industrial cities.

Mr Farooq Yousaf Sheikh, President of the FCCI, said that colonisation of M-3 and Allama Iqbal industrial estates has been geared up.

He pointed out that the trust deficit between the government institutions and the private sector has dampened exports. He said that 32 departments are harassing the industrial sector while containers already cleared by the customs officials are being intercepted on their way to the port city.

He also pointed out the rise in the cost of production due to the exorbitant hike in the prices of electricity and gas. Similarly, refunds which were earlier being cleared within 15 days, are now paid to the exporters after 90 days. “This has prompted a liquidity crunch among the exporters,” he said and added that the business community could enhance exports to $100bn if a congenial atmosphere and uninterrupted policies are introduced.

FCCI Vice President Engr Asim Munir, Executive Members Muhammad Ali, Waheed Khaliq Ramay, former president Muzammil Sultan, Najam Afzal, Mujtaba Hassan, Riaz ul Haq, Saqib Majeed, Tanvir Riaz and Muhammad Tayyab participated in the question-answer session.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2026