Provincial Minister for Industries, Commerce and Investment Chaudhry Shaf Hussain announced Thursday that Pakistan’s inaugural computer chip manufacturing plant will rise in Faisalabad. The government has allocated 50 acres in the M-3 Industrial Estate for a modern expo center to support it.
Speaking to the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) Wednesday evening, Hussain said the facility will boost existing mobile phone assembly in Faisalabad, Karachi, and Lahore. Funding may come from the Export Development Fund (EDF), delivering major gains to the sector.
He outlined accelerated development for M-3 Allama Iqbal Industrial Estates: a community center, boundary wall, and monitoring cell for foreign workers. Banking and commercial services will improve province-wide.
Other initiatives include a cotton boost via high-yield, disease-resistant seeds through R&D. For Faisalabad’s small industries, infrastructure fixes and interest-free loans under the Asan Karobar Scheme are underway. Three women’s training centers launch in Gujrat, Layyah, and Sahiwal by 2026, with Faisalabad in phase two.
Hussain named Faisalabad and Kazakhstan’s Shkent as twin cities to spark industrial ties.
FCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Naved echoed momentum in M-3 Allama Iqbal estates but flagged trust gaps between government and private sector hurting exports. He criticized 32 departments harassing industry, including post-customs container seizures en route to port.
Rising electricity/gas costs inflate production, he said, while refunds drag from 15 to 90 days, squeezing exporter liquidity. “With better policies and environment, we could hit $100 billion in exports,” Sheikh asserted.
Q&A featured FCCI leaders: Engineer Asim Riaz, Muhammad Ali Waheed, former presidents Muzamil Sultan, Afzal Tabassum, Riaz Haq, Saqib Majid, Tanvir Riaz, and Muhammad Tayyab.
