Ahsan Munir<\/p>\n
Recently, China said it is ready to work with Paki\u00adstan to upgrade the China-Pakistan Economic Corri\u00addor (CPEC) for a more shared future in the new era. Caretaker PM Kakar said after having achieved the first phase of CPEC, Pakistan is benefitting from its ear\u00adly harvest projects while remaining engaged with China to execute the next phase. Consequently, there has been a flurry of activities involving the meeting of high-ranking Chinese officials with the senior leadership of Pakistan, PM and COAS, to achieve consensus on the next phase of CPEC.
\nSpecial Economic Zones (SEZs) constitute an im\u00adportant segment of the second phase of CPEC. SEZs have been approved in all four provinces of Pakistan with the aim to improve and encourage: industrilisation, tech\u00adnology transfer, making use of local raw materials, em\u00adployment creation and revenue generation. To facilitate the creation and management of SEZs, authorities have been established in all four provinces of Pakistan, with a Federal authority to approve SEZs at the national level. The Board of Investment (BoI) at the federal level in con\u00adsultation with the provinces is the competent authority to approve SEZS in the four provinces.
\nKhyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company (KPEZDMC) has been estab\u00adlished in KPK for SEZs management. However, other than managing the Hattar Economic Zone, which was already established as an industrial estate in the 1990s, not much of SEZs in KPK have been populated. Rashakai SEZ was a flagship project by KPEZDMC to be developed in collabo\u00adration with China, but its development and industrialisa\u00adtion has stalled for one reason or the other. Similarly, the Balochistan Economic Zones Authority has been set up to establish and promote industrial activity in Balochistan. Bostan, Gidani and Hub Economic Zones have the poten\u00adtial to attract local and foreign investors. However, among other factors, law and order would prove to be the Achil\u00adles heel for Balochistan economic zones.
\nThe Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) serves as the Secretariat of the Special Economic Zones Authori\u00adty. PBIT has approved several SEZs across Punjab, some of which are more successful than SEZs in other provinc\u00ades which might, among other reasons, owe to the existing industrial base in the province along with better law and order situation, which is a pivotal consideration for invest\u00adment by any foreign investor. Sindh Economic Zones Man\u00adagement Company (SEZMC) has been established to insti\u00adtutionally facilitate, promote, encourage and enhance the industrial base in Sindh. Dhabeji SEZ is the flagship proj\u00adect of SEZMC and is claimed to be a state-of-the-art and re\u00admarkable industrial facilitation project poised to become a thriving commercial hub that attracts and supports po\u00adtential investors from around the world. However, informa\u00adtion about the percentage of SEZ being populated, light and heavy industries established and the amount of revenue and jobs generated are amiss on the SEZMC website.
\nThus, generally, areas have been allocated, civil infra\u00adstructure developed, and operational personnel hired by all provincial economic zone authorities to run SEZs under their control. However, SEZs are meant to gener\u00adate economic and industrial activities and bring revenue and employment, which, at any time soon, for innumer\u00adable reasons, do not seem probable for most of the SEZs in all four provinces.
\nPresently, all the established SEZs need continuous op\u00aderational budgets which are a constant monetary drain on the already cash-strapped provincial governments. Hence, for the people to benefit from CPEC and its SEZs in the true sense: in terms of jobs and industrial activity, it would be encouraging if China works with incumbent and future gov\u00adernments to populate and develop those SEZs having the potential, which would help generate goodwill among the local populace and further strengthen bilateral relations.<\/p>\n
The writer is a freelance columnist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ahsan Munir Recently, China said it is ready to work with Paki\u00adstan to upgrade the China-Pakistan Economic Corri\u00addor (CPEC) for a more shared future in the new era. Caretaker PM Kakar said after having achieved the first phase of CPEC, Pakistan is benefitting from its ear\u00adly harvest projects while remaining engaged with China to execute […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13113],"class_list":{"0":"post-386999","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-ahsan-munir"},"yoast_head":"\n