ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed authorities to take “all possible” measures to provide land, electricity and gas connections as well as tax incentives to attract more Chinese companies to invest in the special economic zones (SEZs) in Pakistan, his office said on Monday.
The directives were issued at a meeting PM Khan presided over in Islamabad on facilitating Chinese investors in Pakistani SEZs. It was attended by China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong, Pakistani Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, Planning Minister Asad Umar, PM’s aide on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Khalid Mansoor and other officials.
The development comes after PM Khan’s assurance to several Chinese business leaders last month that he would hold monthly meetings to “review progress regarding issues faced by Chinese investors.”
“Pakistan needs investment to accelerate industrialization,” he told participants of Monday’s meeting in Islamabad. “It is critical to create maximum employment opportunities for our growing population, 65 percent of which is under the age of 35.”
The attendees were informed that out of a total of 27 SEZs in Pakistan, work on five industrial zones in Sindh’s Dhabeji, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Rashakai, Bostan in Balochistan, Allama Iqbal Industrial City in Punjab and Balochistan’s Gwadar was in full swing.
“An effective one-window operation facility is being set up at each of these SEZs and a facilitation center in the CPEC Authority to resolve all issues of potential Chinese investors under one roof,” the PM’s office said in a statement.
In a Twitter post, Chinese Ambassador Nong said a successful webinar, titled “Political Economy of Pakistan and Business Environment,” had attracted nearly 200 participants from Chinese companies on Sunday.
“It has enhanced mutual understanding and strengthened their confidence in a win-win cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani business communities,” he said.
Pakistan offers ‘all possible’ utility, tax incentives to attract more Chinese investment
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Pakistan offers ‘all possible’ utility, tax incentives to attract more Chinese investment
- Prime Minister Imran Khan says his country needs investment to accelerate industrialization
- It is vital to creating employment opportunities in South Asian nation of roughly 220 million
Pakistan telecom regulator urges restraint on social media amid regional tensions
- PTA warns against sharing unverified content, says legal action may follow ‘fake news’
- Advisory comes as Pakistan strikes targets in Afghanistan and Iran faces US, Israeli attacks
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s telecom regulator on Saturday urged citizens to avoid sharing “unverified or inflammatory” content online, warning that legal action could be taken against those spreading misinformation amid what it described as a “sensitive national situation.”
The advisory from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) comes as Islamabad says it is targeting militant positions inside Afghanistan following a recent flareup between the two neighbors, while Iran is under attack by the United States and Israel in an escalating regional conflict that has heightened security concerns across South and West Asia.
“In view of the prevailing sensitive national situation, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) urges all citizens to be responsible while using social media and digital platforms,” the regulator said in a statement posted on X.
The PTA advised citizens “not to share, disseminate, forward, or upload any unverified, inflammatory, or misleading information/content that may directly or indirectly harm the national interest, public order, or state institutions.”
It said people should instead rely on authentic information based on official sources and refrain from spreading rumors and “fake news.”
“Sharing any fake news/information is liable to legal action in accordance with applicable laws,” the authority said, calling on citizens to act with “caution, maturity, and a strong sense of national responsibility” to help maintain stability and public confidence.
Pakistan in recent years has witnessed increasingly stringent implementation of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), a cybercrime law that has drawn criticism from rights groups, with journalists and activists arrested and prosecuted under its provisions.
