ISLAMABAD, Sep 7 (APP): Pakistan’s special economic zones (SEZs) are beginning to attract diversified foreign participation, with firms from China, Germany and Canada entering into joint ventures with local industries.
Jamshed Ahmed, Investment and Industrial Specialist at Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives told Wealth Pakistan that international companies are partnering with Pakistani firms in Faisalabad and Sheikhupura SEZs.
He highlighted the case of Allama Iqbal Industrial City, which has successfully attracted both Chinese and Western investors in textiles, home appliances and mobile manufacturing. He said the industrial estate’s easy access to raw materials and skilled labour has made it a preferred destination for industrial cooperation.
“This reflects the growing confidence of foreign businesses in Pakistan’s industrial environment,” he noted. “The government has created a facilitative framework, and we are now witnessing concrete results in the form of joint ventures,” he added.
He said that the government’s strategy is shifting towards greater private sector involvement and business-to-business cooperation in SEZs, moving beyond the earlier state-led model. “Foreign investors are looking for credible local partners, and we are facilitating this process,” he added.
The ministry official pointed out that while priority sectors have been identified – including agriculture, mines and minerals, IT, chemicals and petrochemicals – investors are welcome to explore opportunities in any viable area. “What matters most is that foreign companies are willing to bring in technology, capital and expertise, while local industries provide market access and on-ground capacity,” he explained.
Ahmed added that the government had also addressed long-standing issues of logistics and power supply through new policy measures, including a Cabinet-approved mechanism that ensures uninterrupted bulk electricity supply to SEZs. “By resolving such bottlenecks, we are making Pakistan’s industrial landscape more competitive,” he said.
A senior official from the Board of Investment (BOI) told Wealth Pakistan that the board continues to play a pivotal role in supporting Chinese and other foreign investors under the CPEC Industrial Cooperation Development Programme. He said the newly launched business facilitation centre is a one-window operation designed to cut through bureaucratic bottlenecks. “What used to take months will now be achievable in just two streamlined visits,” he added.
The BOI official stressed that the one-window operation will not only reduce delays in obtaining approvals, licences and NOCs but also encourage new investors exploring joint ventures in Pakistan’s SEZs. “This is the kind of structural change that investors have long demanded,” he added.
