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FAISALABAD, Jan 27 (APP):Federal Minister for Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh has said the government under dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is working with full sincerity and commitment
to address genuine issues being faced by the industrialist and business community.
During his visit to the Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development & Management Company (FIEDMC)
on Tuesday, he said the FIEDMC is a highly important and effective hub for Pakistan’s industrial development.
Hence, all existing bottlenecks at the industrial estate would be removed to make it more active,
stable and investor-friendly, he added.
He said that promotion of investment is one of the government’s top priorities as sustainable
industrial growth is backbone of a strong national economy.
The minister said that he belongs to Chiniot district, which is globally renowned for its high-quality furniture. Therefore, he fully understands the importance of industry and practical challenges being faced by the industrialists.
He himself comes from an industrialist family and as such, he views the problems of business community not merely as paperwork issues but as real and ground-level concerns, the minister added.
He said that challenges exist on both sides but the country belongs to all of us and despite current difficulties, collective efforts are essential to move Pakistan forward.
He said that government is fully determined to resolve issues of the industrialists and business community. Due to prudent policies of incumbent government, the economy has shown improvement, foreign exchange reserves have increased and the finance minister has been directed to remain in close liaison with stakeholders to address prompt redressal of industrialists’ problems wherever they arise, he added.
Earlier, Chairman FIEDMC Rana Azhar Waqar briefed the federal minister about the progress of industrial estate and informed that 90 factories had been established in FIEDMC by 2025 while 26 new factories have been set up during current year and development work on 31 more factories is underway.
The briefing highlighted that a business-friendly environment exists at FIEDMC and local industrialists are showing keen interest in investing in the industrial zone.
Additional Secretary Board of Investment Dr Erfa Iqbal, CEO FIEDMC Qurratul Ain and other officials were also present on the occasion.
Later, the federal minister visited the factory of renowned industrialist Mian Mansha and held discussions with him.
On this occasion, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh said that FIEDMC is the largest industrial zone in the country and purpose of his visit was to conduct a comprehensive review and translate improvement proposals into actionable measures.
He discussed plans for direct transportation of containers from Karachi Port to FIEDMC to reduce costs, the use of rail-based transportation and linking Faisalabad, Chiniot and other areas through an improved railway network to facilitate smooth movement of goods.
Mian Mansha offered to prepare feasibility studies for these projects and said that if any funding or financing is required, he would also extend support to ensure prompt implementation.
He emphasized that for Pakistan’s economic progress, it is imperative to fully develop largest industrial zone of the country and bring the remaining land under industrial use at the earliest.
Subsequently, the federal minister also held a meeting with President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) Farooq Yousaf Sheikh, Vice President Engineer Asim Munir and other members, during which the industrialists apprised him of the issues confronting the sector.
Federal Minister Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh agreed with the concerns raised by the industrialists and said that their issues are genuine and would not be ignored.
He assured them that practical steps would be taken to further strengthen FIEDMC and other industrial zones across the country.