Punjab a very attractive province for Chinese investors: PM Imran Khan

China Economic Net

Lahore: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Punjab was a very attractive province for the Chinese investors who were desirous of shifting their industrial units to Pakistan.

Chairing a review meeting on progress of special economic zones in the country here, PM Khan remarked that the government was ready to facilitate Chinese investors by all means.

“Punjab is a very attractive province for the foreign investors especially for Chinese investors who were desirous of shifting their industrial units to Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying in an official statement.

He added: “The government is taking all possible steps to attract investors towards industrial manufacturing in the country.”

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Khalid Mansoor attended the meeting through video link and briefed the PM on the Chinese investment and the progress on CPEC projects.

The Prime Minister directed the relevant officials to ensure business friendly environment for the investors.

These measures included provision of land on easy installments to decrease the cost of initial investment of businessmen and availability of plug and play model for early start of their business operations.

Prime Minister Khan stressed that effective rules and regulations should be formed to discourage conversion of industrial estate into real estate ventures because when the investor would have to pay a heavy cost for acquiring land to start a business project, it would make the investment unattractive and the investor might abandon the decision to make investment.

He instructed the relevant officials to reorganize the Board of Directors of Punjab Industrial Estate Development and Management Company, Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company on very professional lines so that those directors could be appointed who had no personal interest in the special economic zones.

Minister for Federal Education Shafqat Mehmood, Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Advisor for Trade Abdul Razzaq Dawood, Special Assistant for Political Communication Dr Shehbaz Gill, Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar, Punjab Minister for Industries Mian Aslam Iqbal, Special Assistant for Information to Punjab Chief Minister Hasaan Khawar and senior officers attended the meeting.

The PM also chaired a separate meeting on development projects in the Faisalabad Division and the progress of the CPEC projects in the area.