Pakistan’s first ‘Marble City’ being established at Karachi: Sharjeel
KARACHI: Sindh Senior Minister and Provincial Minister for Information, Transport and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon has said that Pakistan’s first Marble City is being established in Karachi, which will create new investment opportunities, promote industrial activities and increase employment opportunities.
Through this project, the natural reserves of marble and granite found in different parts of Sindh and other areas of the country will be processed using modern industrial methods to produce high-quality products that can be exported to international markets. He was addressing the pre-launch ceremony of Marble City Karachi.
Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Investment and Public-Private Partnership Qasim Naveed Qamar, prominent industrialist Arif Habib, government officials, industrialists and business personalities attended the ceremony.
Addressing the pre-launch ceremony of Karachi Marble City Industrial Park at a local hotel on Thursday, Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that today was an important day for the Sindh government, and the pre-launch of a modern industrial project was a welcome development. The Public-Private Partnership Department and the Investment Department deserved congratulations for this project. Qasim Naveed Qamar was leading the project on the instructions of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, while the progressive vision of Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari was behind this initiative. He said that Sindh had always taken the lead in development, and our efforts were aimed at moving Pakistan forward on the path of progress and prosperity.
Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that, like other developing countries, Pakistan was also facing challenges such as population growth, unemployment and the need to create employment opportunities. Creating new jobs to meet the needs of the growing population was an urgent requirement, and industrial development and the establishment of new industries were effective ways to achieve this. Marble City was an important initiative in this regard, where investors would be provided opportunities to establish industries. The project would promote the local processing of natural resources and the production of finished goods instead of selling these resources as raw materials, which would also benefit the country’s economy.
He said that Qasim Naveed Qamar and the relevant officials had given him a detailed briefing on the Marble City project. The objective of the project was to provide modern industrial facilities to investors and offer them opportunities to start businesses on suitable terms. This was a pre-launch ceremony, while the formal inauguration of the project would be carried out by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. The main purpose of the pre-launch was to inform investors about the project details and available opportunities. He stated that the average price of land in Marble City was being set at approximately Rs. 25 million per acre. Investors would not be required to pay the full price of the land in one instalment. Those who could not afford a one-time payment would also be provided with the facility to pay in instalments.
The Sindh government was encouraging investment in different sectors with this objective.
During international visits, attention had also been given to establishing industries based on agriculture and exploring investment opportunities in this sector. International investors had regularly been invited to establish agro-based industries in Pakistan. During the recent visit to China, investment opportunities in Sindh were highlighted under the leadership of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. The Chief Minister presented investment opportunities available in different sectors of the province as Sindh’s representative. He said that there were also extensive investment opportunities in Sindh’s energy sector, and international companies were investing in this sector. During the investment conference in China, discussions were also held on establishing and promoting agro-based industries alongside the energy sector.
Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the Sindh government had started modern development projects approximately twenty years ago. The S-BOSS project launched by the Sindh government had received recognition from the World Bank and at the international level. It was encouraging that other provinces were also benefiting from Sindh’s successful experiences and development models. He said that the Sindh government would be pleased if other provinces, including Punjab, took forward successful projects initiated by Sindh. Similarly, if the Sindh government found any good policy or project of Punjab to be better, it would also be happy to adopt it. We are all part of the same country and should encourage each other’s positive initiatives.
Sharjeel said that the Sindh Enterprise Development Fund had been working to promote business activities since 2011. Under this fund, people wishing to start a business or expand an existing one were facilitated in obtaining loans from banks. The Sindh government bore a major portion of the markup on these loans, while business owners were required to pay only one per cent markup, excluding KIBOR. In comparison, under a similar facility in Punjab, business owners had to pay five per cent markup. He said that the objective of the Sindh government was to promote small and medium-sized businesses, help people start their own businesses and create new employment opportunities. It was also a welcome development that the Punjab government was introducing similar facilities for the business sector.
He said that the Sindh government had also introduced a one-window operation facility for business owners, under which the information and necessary facilities required to start a business were available on a single platform. Business owners no longer needed to visit different government offices to obtain trade licences and fulfil other necessary requirements. Citizens could complete the required procedures to start their businesses from home through the Sindh government’s online system. Information, documents and facilities related to starting a business were available on the Sindh government’s website, while records of the reforms and facilities introduced were also accessible to the public.
Sharjeel said that Sindh, particularly Karachi, was among the most suitable locations in Pakistan for establishing new industries. Karachi offered extensive investment opportunities because of its geographical importance, existing industrial infrastructure and ports. Many industrialists who had established industries in other cities of the country were now also interested in shifting their businesses to Karachi and making new investments here. Industrial goods from different parts of the country, including Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were transported to Karachi’s ports, from where they could be exported to international markets. He said that in the past, Karachi’s environment had deliberately been damaged under a planned strategy to force industrialists to leave the city. However, the government was now making efforts to revive industrial and business activities in Karachi and restore investors’ confidence.
He said that several major development projects had been completed in Karachi, while work on many others was in progress. The Sindh government’s efforts were aimed at restoring Karachi’s position as an international city of global standards.
Referring to Karachi’s past, he said that there was a time when the city had international recognition, trams operated here, and its lively atmosphere attracted people from around the world. People from different parts of the world, including Gulf countries, used to visit Karachi for education and holidays. The city’s universities also had international hostels for foreign students. Karachi’s conditions had been affected over the past several decades, but the process of improvement and development was now moving forward again. He said that, Alhamdulillah, Pakistan’s situation was also improving, and the country’s international image was changing positively.
Sharjeel said that under the leadership of Chief of Defence Forces General Asim Munir, Pakistan’s armed forces had raised the country’s prestige on the defence front. The Army, Air Force and Navy had worked together and played their full role in the defence and security of the country. Following the successes on the defence front, Pakistan was now being viewed internationally as a strong and dignified nation. He said that just as the armed forces were playing their role in defending the country, it was the responsibility of governments to move Pakistan forward on the economic front. Along with defence, we must also make our economy strong, stable and developed.
Addressing the ceremony, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Investment and Public-Private Partnership Qasim Naveed Qamar said that the Sindh government was working to develop every sector, not just Marble City. Four projects of the Sindh government had received awards from the World Bank, including the Shahrah-e-Bhutto project. The Sindh government was also providing financial assistance and loans for various projects to promote development activities.
He said that a Business Facilitation Centre had been established to provide investors and industrialists with assistance in various matters, including licensing. Work was also underway to provide basic facilities in all economic zones. Sindh was the country’s powerhouse, with various energy sources, including solar and hydropower, available for electricity generation.
According to Qasim Naveed, there was good news for industrialists and investors: the Sindh government was working on a decision to provide electricity at Rs 20 per unit for its projects, particularly in Dhabeji and Khairpur. Along with providing facilities to industrialists in Marble City at the lowest possible cost, efforts were being made to make machinery available on rent and provide access to the world’s most advanced machines. Arrangements were also being made to provide electricity at rates lower than those charged by K-Electric.
He further said that Italy held a prominent position in the world for its excellent designs, and guidance had also been sought from Italy for the Marble City project. The process of immediate registration of investors and industrialists was being started, while further facilities would also be provided to them with the registration process scheduled to begin next month.
Prominent industrialist Arif Habib and others also addressed the ceremony.