‘Mega projects to revive economy’

Deputy Prime Minister and PML-Q senior leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said on Tuesday that many mega projects were underway for the economic revival of the country, including establishment of Export Processing Zones all over the country and implementation of a new industrial policy that is being formulated in consultation with the business community.
Talking to LCCI President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh and Vice President Saeeda Nazar during a meeting at his residence here, he said, “When we got the charge of the EPZA, its land was under occupation of land grabbers, now 100 acres of land has been retrieved on which the Export Processing Zone would be established.” He said EPZA offices would be set up all over the country including Karachi so that more industrial estates could be established and new job opportunities created. The Deputy Prime Minister said the government was aware of problems of trade and industry due to power crisis and added that a remarkable cut in loadshedding would be witnessed in the coming months.
He said the proposed industrial policy would pave the way for acceleration of industrial activity in the country, ultimately boosting exports, alleviating poverty and unemployment. He said that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce would be taken on board well before the finalization of the upcoming industrial policy.
He said the government was focusing on implementation of long term policies so that true results could be produced for the benefit of the common man. The promotion of Indo-Pak trade would go a long way in bringing peace and prosperity in South Asia, he said, asserting that to help cope with imports from India, the government was endeavoring to strengthen the local industrial sector.
Pervaiz Elahi said that all possible measures were being taken to ensure continuity in economic policies that was a prerequisite to turn the country a hub of economic activities and to achieve the goal all stakeholders including chambers of commerce in the country would be consulted.
Earlier, the LCCI president apprised the Deputy Prime Minister of the challenges being faced by the business community, saying that electricity shortage had forced the businessmen to shift their operations to other places.
On trade with India, the LCCI president said that it is a welcome sign but the government would have to facilitate the business community to enable it to cope with a bigger economy. He said the LCCI had conveyed its concern over non-tariff barriers by India which needed to be addressed as they were hitting hard Pakistani businessmen.