ISLAMABAD, March 23: The government will create industrial parks to increase manufacturing base, create employment opportunities and raise the sector’s GDP share, says Federal Minister for Industries, Produc-tion and Special Initiatives Jahangir Khan Tareen.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday, the minister was speaking at a meeting held here to review the progress on rehabilitation of industrial estates in Karachi and opening of National Industrial Parks Company’s regional office.

The meeting was attended by Secretary Industries Kamran Rasool, chief executive officer of the Export Development Board, Imtiaz Rastgar, chief operating officer of the National Industrial Parks Company and officials of the Pakistan Industrial Develop-ment Corporation.

The chief operating officer of NIPS briefed the minister about the company’s initiative to set up two industrial parks in Karachi in Korangi Creek Industrial Park and Downstream Industrial Estate and one each in Bannu and Jallozai.

The minister is reported to have expressed willingness to remove bottlenecks in the process of rehabilitation of industrial estates.