The Quaid-e-Azam Apparel Park, the most modern project in South Asia, proposed to come up on 1,500 acres near Motorway-2 that connects Lahore with Islamabad, has been handed over for its management and development work to the Punjab Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (PIEDMC), the Nation reported.
While presiding over a recent meeting to review the progress on the project, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, the Chief Minister of Punjab province of Pakistan, said that the project would generate thousands of job opportunities and increase exports, leading to strengthening of the national economy.
He said that there is a need to accelerate the process of industrialization to fully benefit from the Generalized System of Preferences Plus (GSP Plus) status given to Pakistan by the European Union.
Shahbaz Sharif said that work on the project should be completed without wasting any time. He said that the Punjab government had promoted the culture of transparency and all development projects had been completed in a transparent manner.
He said that Quaid-e-Azam Apparel Park would be an example of speedy execution and transparency. He said that 200 acres labour colony equipped with modern residential facilities would also be constructed in the park for the convenience of the labourers.
Provincial ministers Ch Shafiq, Tanvir Aslam Malik, member provincial assembly Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, additional chief secretary energy, secretaries of C&W, law, industries, labour, chairman PIDMC, and other concerned authorities attended the meeting.
Last year, Shandong Ruyi Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Punjab government for investing US$ 2 billion in the Quaid-e-Azam Apparel Park. As per the MoU, the Chinese textile firm would be providing technical assistance in the designing, planning as well as construction of the apparel park, and would be jointly working with the PIEDMC for the project. (GK)
