New Industrial Estate to Be Developed Along Ring Road

RAWALPINDI ( WNAM REPORT ): Punjab Minister for Industries, Commerce & Investment, Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, addressed the business community during his visit to the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (RCCI). Chairman PIEDMC Javed Iqbal and Former Minister Dr. Amjad accompanied the minister on the occasion. Chamber President Usman Shaukat, Group Leader Sohail Altaf, Chairman Ring Road Development Committee Asad Mashhadi, senior office bearers, and former presidents warmly received the provincial minister. Senior Vice President Khalid Farooq Qazi, Vice President Fahad Barlas, FPCCI Vice President Tariq Jadoon, women entrepreneurs, chamber members, and traders from various markets and industries also attended.
The Chamber President briefed the minister on RCCI’s ongoing initiatives, especially the Rawalpindi Ring Road project and the proposed economic and industrial zones planned along its route. He highlighted that these zones would significantly boost commercial activity and accelerate industrial growth. He added that relocating existing terminals and markets from the city would help improve traffic flow. Emphasizing a long-standing demand, he urged the immediate construction of the access road to the Rawat Industrial Estate, which would help operationalise more than 500 industrial units.
Group Leader and Former President Sohail Altaf added that high taxation and rising energy prices have greatly increased the cost of doing business. He stressed the need for the government to impose Section 4 along the Rawalpindi Ring Road to acquire land without delay, warning that prices would escalate further once the project is completed.
In his address, Minister Shafay Hussain said that Rawalpindi, the third-largest city in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad, holds immense industrial and commercial potential. Sharing major good news for the business community, he announced that a new industrial estate is being established in Rawalpindi on the demand of traders, to be developed along the Rawalpindi Ring Road. The announcement was warmly welcomed, and traders thanked the minister for addressing their long-awaited demand.
Highlighting government initiatives and priorities, the minister informed that a grid station has already been built in the Bhalwal Industrial Estate, where electricity will be provided to industrialists at rates lower than market prices. He added that a request has been made to the Defence Minister to make the Rahim Yar Khan Airport operational at the earliest to facilitate the Rahim Yar Khan Industrial Estate. The Vehari Industrial Estate has been declared a Free Zone, and work is underway to upgrade its road infrastructure. He emphasized that electricity bills are a serious concern and that reducing the markup rate to single digits would greatly improve the business environment.
He further stated that Pakistan’s largest industrial estate is located in Faisalabad, where the boundary wall has been completed. A special compound for foreign investors—particularly Chinese companies—is also being developed. The inauguration of Vivo Mobile’s assembly plant has already taken place, with manufacturing expected to begin within the next six months. He also shared that discussions are underway for establishing lithium battery production in the country.