Quaid-i-Azam Industrial Estate declared special economic zone

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Industries, Commerce and Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal said the government declared Quaid-i-Azam Apparel Park (QAAP) as Special Economic Zone (SEZ) where one window facility has been provided to local and foreign investors.

Inaugurating the One Window Service Centre at Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate here on Tuesday, the minister said that the one window operation extended to all the industrial estates and is being managed by Punjab Industrial Estates Development & Management Company (PIEDMC). It is a breath of fresh air and this is a great initiative which plays an important role in governments’ initiative of ease of doing business.

Mian Aslam Iqbal said that the modern industrial estate Quaid-e-Azam Apparel Park (QAAP) will not only play a vital role in bringing prosperity in Pakistan but would also provide 500,000 to 600,000 employment opportunities besides opening the doors to young and new entrepreneurs. This would help achieve the provision of five million employment opportunities to new entrants and it would also help achieve the vision of PM Imran Khan.

The minister said that QAAP will have a grid station, underground electricity network, dedicated interchange, technical education centre and labour colony. It will have all state of art amenities available.

Congratulating the Chairman, PIEDMC, Shoaib Zahid Malik and management, he extended the government support to business community for setting up new industries in the province. Our aim is to generate more employment so that the ultimate goal of job creation within the province can be achieved, he said and added public sector cannot alone achieve this goal and it is imperative for the private sector to play their part and cooperate in order to achieve this goal. He said private sector is the engine of growth of this country.

The Chairman, PIEDMC, Shoaib Zahid Malik said that PIEDMC started one window operation under one roof to provide all the facilities to existing and new comers. He thanked the government of Punjab for lending cooperation in this regard. He assured that he would try his best to industrialise the province of Punjab and create maximum job through industrialisation and this one window service centre will help in achieving this goal.

Varsities: Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad has said that Pakistan has abundance of natural and human resources which predicts its bright future. He said it was the responsibility of the universities to give direction to the nation.

He stated this while addressing a seminar on “Pakistaniat” organised by Punjab University and Centre of Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS) at the university’s Al-Raazi Hall Tuesday. Former Governor of Punjab Lt-Gen (r) Khalid Maqbool, CGSS President Major General (r) Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery, Vice-President CGSS Major General (r) Masroor Ahmed, former Information Minister Javed Jabbar, faculty members and students were also present.

In his address, the vice-chancellor said all the institutions of Pakistan were delivering and organisations were functioning. He said Pakistan Army was the best army in the world and that’s why it was capable of fighting the enemy which was five times bigger.

Lt-Gen (r) Khalid Maqbool said Pakistan Army had the capacity to defend every inch of the country. He said some international powers were fanning propaganda against Islam and Pakistan Army. He said Pakistan was strategically and geographically located in the most important location of the region and it was one of the most important trade corridors of the world. He said there was abundance of natural resources in Pakistan and we must work hard for progress of Pakistan. He said that Pakistan would soon come out of energy crisis. He said China was one of the most trustworthy friends of Pakistan and it would become No 1 superpower very soon. Javed Jabbar said conspiracies were being hatched against Pakistan but we had the capacity to foil all such conspiracies. Major General (r) Khalid Amir Jaffery said our youth was our biggest asset and there was a need to guide them in the right direction.

LCWU: A poster exhibition on the themes of climate change, population control and water crisis was held at the Government College University (GCU) here on Tuesday. Students from different universities of Pakistan put on display their artwork at the exhibition organised by the GCU’s Department of Geography. Students from Lahore College of Women University (LCWU) stood first and the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) secured the second position.

Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah was the chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony which was also attended by eminent philosopher Prof Mirza Athar Baig and social activists Liaqat Ali and Syed Yasir Usman. Speaking on the occasion, Prof Hassan Shah said that climate change and uncontrolled population growth were the biggest challenges to Pakistan. He said art was the most effective medium to convey a social message.