Punjab Plans Industrial Estate Along Rawalpindi Ring Road

RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government plans to establish a new industrial estate along Rawalpindi Ring Road to attract investment, expand industrial activity and create employment opportunities.

The proposal emerged during a meeting on Monday between a Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) delegation, led by Patron-in-Chief Sohail Altaf, and Punjab Minister for Industries and Commerce Chaudhry Shafay Hussain.

Both sides agreed to form a joint working group comprising representatives of the Rawalpindi and Islamabad chambers of commerce and government officials to accelerate the project.

Joint Working Group to Oversee Industrial Estate

The proposed working group will include Sohail Altaf, RCCI President Nosherwan Khalil Khan, former RCCI President Asad Mashadi, Islamabad Chamber President Muhammad Zakaria Akbar Khan, former president Khalid Javed and Hajveri Group Chairman Tauqeer Awan.

Government representatives will include Secretary Industries and Commerce Muhammad Umar Masood, Punjab Industrial Estates Development and Management Company (PIEDMC) Chairman Shehzad Azam and Chief Operating Officer Ali Moazzam.

The provincial government will issue a formal notification to establish the working group shortly.

Industrial Estate to Be Developed on Non-Agricultural Land

Chaudhry Shafay Hussain said the working group would help speed up the project.

He added that the government would develop the industrial estate on non-agricultural land to meet rising industrial demand and address the business community’s needs.

The minister said the project would create jobs and strengthen economic activity across the region.

He also highlighted the Punjab government’s Asaan Karobar Finance Scheme and PIVOT Programme. He said both initiatives aim to encourage investment, support industrial expansion and generate employment.

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RCCI Welcomes Punjab’s Industrial Policy

The RCCI delegation welcomed the provincial government’s new industrial policy and described it as business- and industry-friendly.

It appreciated the provision of income tax exemptions in industrial zones and interest-free loans for businesses.

The delegation also congratulated the minister on the initiatives and praised Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s Asaan Karobar and PIVOT programmes. It said these measures could attract investment, encourage factory development and create jobs.

The RCCI representatives stressed that industrialisation remained essential for Pakistan’s economic development.

They called for the early establishment of economic and industrial zones along Rawalpindi Ring Road, describing the proposed estate as a potential catalyst for investment, industrial growth and employment.