It is very difficult for developing countries like Pakistan to keep pace with the pace of the world. There are many obstacles in the development of these third world countries. These barriers include lack of natural resources, incompetent leadership, lack of planning, lack of consistency, political instability, low exports, high imports, external debts, lack of modern technical education. Importance of industries can be seen from this example that the BMW or Mercedes car manufacturing industries pay only as much money to their country in terms of taxes which is more than total GDP of many 3rd world countries. Pakistan is also in the list of third world countries where there are many obstacles in the way of development that cause the economy to slow down. Pakistani politics has been dominated by feudal lords and industrialists for decades who have been making policies for their business, But the wheel of time is turning at its own pace and now the situation in Pakistan seems to be changing. The prospects of industrial development in Pakistan are also beginning to be seen.
Chairman Faisalabad industrial estate development and management company(FIEDMC) Mian Kashif Ashfaq, who is also an industrialist and highly educated, while briefing the company, said that M3 Industrial City and Allama Iqbal Industrial City are connected with M4 Motorway Sahiyanwala Interchange. M3 Industrial City has been fully sold where besides Pakistan there have been investments from many countries including China, UK, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and France. Several countries have completed their plants in M3 Industrial City and are selling their products all over the world, including Pakistan, which is reducing Pakistan’s import bill and increasing exports. Mian Kashif Ashfaq believe that CPEC is a great opportunity for Pakistan’s development, But it requires our young people to specialize in technical education and various arts. For technical education and expertise, they want to set up a technical university in the area adjacent to Allama Iqbal Industrial City and M3 Industrial City, managed by FIEDMC, in which civil technology, mechanical technology, food processing technology, information technology, computer education. , Automobile, Auto Diesel, Electrical Technology, Industrial Management and Chinese Language can be learned, So that our young people can get technical education and training in accordance with the modern age. Agreements will be made with the different Training Institutes. Allama Iqbal Industrial City, which covers an area of 3300 acres, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan this year and is considered a very successful project.
More than 2,000 acres of Allama Iqbal Industrial City has been sold to various industrialists and it is hoped that the entire Industrial City will be sold in the next few months.
In the Priority, Special Economic Zone of Allama Iqbal Industrial City are being given income tax exemption for ten years, import of duty-free machinery, and land on easy installments of four years which is considered a rare opportunity for industrialists. Allama Iqbal Industrial City also has the honor of being the first of the industrial zones to be created under CPEC. Mian Kashif Ashfaq said that the entire FIEDMC team has worked day and night to make a Successful project. Few months ago, he along with Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar launched a campaign called FIEDMC Road Show in different cities of UK which was very much appreciated. Meetings were held exclusively with the Pakistani business community based in the UK and the UK business community in which many business class people expressed their willingness to set up their industrial units in Pakistan, especially in Allama Iqbal Industrial City. In response to the visit, the British High Commission in Pakistan visited the FIEDMC Office, M3 Industrial City, Allama Iqbal Industrial City in which He also visited various Industrial units. Allama Iqbal Industrial City and M3 Industrial City are visited by ambassadors of different countries, including Germany, Spain, China and Azerbaijan, as well as the business community of different countries, which speaks volumes about the success of Allama Iqbal Industrial City. Explaining another utility of Industrial City, Mian Kashif Ashfaq said that in the beginning, industries were located within city or directly within the urban population which created problems like environmental pollution, waste water issues, drinking water problems, and traffic jams. In case of any kind of emergency in the industry, there was a fear of loss of urban population.
The only solution to all these problems was to settle industries outside the urban population with a comprehensive plan that required the establishment of an industrial city. Keeping all these in mind, Allama Iqbal Industrial City and M3 Industrial City are being developed to international standards under a comprehensive plan. There are street lights, trained security staff equipped with modern weapons keeping in view the security facilities. Trained staff with firefighting vehicles and state-of-the-art ambulances are available 24 hours a day to deal with emergencies.
Commercial areas will also be created along with Allama Iqbal Industrial City and M3 Industrial City. Apart from where multinational companies will be able to set up their offices, clubs, luxury apartments, five star hotels, restaurants, sports gymnasiums, commercial markets and expo centers will also be set up. Colonies for labor will also be set up in areas adjacent to Allama Iqbal Industrial City and M3 Industrial City. One-way roads from Jaranwala Interchange to Chiniot are also being worked on for better access to both the industrial cities, while an international airport is also planned in the future. Mian Kashif Ashfaq, while talking on Furniture City, said that the world’s finest and most elegant furniture is manufactured in Pakistan, which is famous all over the world. The establishment of the Furniture City will facilitate the access of people associated with the local furniture industry to the international market. They will also have the opportunity to display their furniture at the Expo Center, which will attract buyers of Pakistani furniture from all over the world. Chairman FIEDMC also expressed his determination that after Allama Iqbal Industrial City, another industrial city will be set up in Toba Tek Singh which was approved by Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar during his visit to Toba Tek Singh. Toba Tek Singh is an agricultural city where the world’s best wheat, sugarcane, cotton, rice and vegetables are grown. Besides, they believe that Toba Tek Singh’s oranges are better than Sargodha. In Toba Tek Singh Industrial City, special attention will be given to food processing units which will further increase the export of Pakistan’s agricultural products.
Experts believe that the completion of all these projects will provide direct employment to more than six hundred thousand people while millions of people connected with these industries will also get business opportunities.
Exports of Pakistani products will increase significantly while imports will also decrease. FIEDMC projects are a guarantee of a bright future for Pakistan.