PM Shehbaz launches Chinese textile group's economic zone, expecting $400m in exports
The SEZ will be established by the Chinese garments group Challenge Fashion Private Limited that has already invested $17 million in Pakistan since 2014.
The prime minister directed to provide all possible facilities to Challenge Group for the zone, reiterating that his government was committed to promoting the industrial component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and benefiting from China's progress and expertise in the textile sector.
Chinese textile group keen to develop textile factory: minister
Highlighting the time-tested Pakistan-China friendship, Prime Minister Shehbaz said his government desired to take the bilateral ties to new heights as the economic relations between the two countries were a source of great satisfaction.
He said Pakistan desired the Chinese industries to establish their units in Pakistan and also appreciated the confidence of Challenge Fashion Group in the Pakistani market.
The prime minister told the delegation that a China-Pakistan Business-to-Business Conference would soon be held in China, providing an opportunity for collaboration between private businesses of both countries.
Meanwhile, Challenge Fashion Group chairman Huwang Weiguo said his company was establishing a modern textile industry in Pakistan. He said the company would invest $100 million in th SEZ over the next five years and expected to generate $400 million in exports.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Jam Kamal, Attaullah Tarar, Ali Pervez Malik, and Sardar Awais Ahmad Leghari, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, and relevant senior government officials.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Rekindling trust
In a world where alliances are increasingly transactional, the counterterrorism partnership between Pakistan and the United States remains an evolving, if at times uneasy, example of strategic necessity. Whereas public discourse is usually preoccupied with episodes of tension (drone attacks, trust gaps and changing regional priorities), the cooperation, particularly in recent years, has become increasingly professional, mature and outcome-oriented. With old threats being replaced by new ones, the US-Pakistan counterterrorism (CT) cooperation is important not only to South Asian stability, but to world security architecture as well. A recent example of this longstanding collaboration was the January 2025 joint operation that resulted in the arrest of Sharifullah, the ISIS-K mastermind of the lethal August 2021 Kabul airport bombing. Not the arrest but the manner in which it was done was important. The Pakistani intelligence services, working in close liaison with their US counterparts, monitored then captured a high-value target without incurring political blowback and without leaking the operation. This achievement, which was celebrated by the US Department of Justice, was not so much about symbolism but rather competency, coordination and trust. And this trust seems to be on an upward curve. Centcom Commander Gen Michael Kurilla, who has retired recently, praised Pakistan as a "phenomenal partner" in the war against ISIS-K in July 2025, and was himself honoured with the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest military award of Pakistan. This act, however ceremonial, amounts to a conscious resetting of relations — a shift in the mode of suspicion to a mode of common strategic outlook. But what has changed? To begin with, the two countries have apparently adjusted expectations. The pre-9/11 doctrine of "with us or against us" that previously put a strain on bilateral relations has been replaced by a more realistic, decentralised system of collaboration. Examples of this change include institutions such as the National Intelligence Fusion & Threat Assessment Centre (NIFTAC), in Pakistan, which is a locally based response that is integrated with international cooperation, especially with the American and allied intelligence organisations. Second, terrorism as such has evolved. The recurrence of Taliban in power in Afghanistan has formed new security gaps, and these gaps are easily taken advantage of by groups such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ISIS-K. They are not local actors only but transnational ones that recruit and fund globally. That is why the US not only requires Pakistan as a geographic ally but also as an operational one. Drones cannot do away with ideological insurgencies, they require boots on the ground, informants on the field and information provided by local agencies. Of course, the road ahead is not without bumps. The perennial issue of strategic mistrust, particularly when it comes to Afghanistan and regional power dynamics with India and China, will always shadow Pak-US ties. Moreover, Pakistan faces internal political instability and resurging domestic militancy, which can dilute the focus of its CT machinery. But to let these obstacles overshadow progress would be short-sighted. It is also crucial that this partnership does not become overly securitised. Counterterrorism cooperation should be complemented by economic and developmental collaboration, particularly in Pakistan's tribal and border regions. Ultimately, Pak-US CT cooperation is not a vestige of a long forgotten war-on-terrorism; it's a living, breathing necessity shaped by evolving threats and mutual dependencies. If 2025 is any indicator, it seems both sides have begun to move past suspicion and toward strategic maturity. For a world teetering on new fronts of asymmetric warfare, it's not just reassuring — it's essential.
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Oman opens fully funded scholarships for Pakistani students
Applicants must be Pakistani, aged 23 or under, Grade 12 qualified in past 3 years, and medically fit. PHOTO: PIXABAY Oman has opened applications for fully funded undergraduate scholarships under the Omani Programme for Cultural and Scientific Cooperation, giving international students — including Pakistani nationals — the opportunity to study for bachelor's degrees in selected fields. According to Gulf News, the awards cover courses in engineering, humanities, information technology and sciences (excluding medicine) at leading private higher education institutions across Oman. Scholarship benefits include: Full waiver of tuition fees Monthly stipend of OMR 200 if accommodation is not provided, or OMR 140 with free housing One round-trip air ticket per academic year Option to select up to three universities and two academic majors Eligibility requirements stipulate that applicants must be Pakistani nationals aged 23 or under, hold an intermediate or equivalent qualification (Grade 12) completed within the past three years, and be medically fit. An Equivalency Certificate from Oman's Ministry of Education is also required. Required documentation includes a valid passport, academic certificates, the Omani equivalency certificate, and — where available — proof of English language proficiency. All documents must be submitted in English, comply with file size limits (2MB for PDFs, 1MB for images), and avoid special characters in filenames. Application process: Candidates must apply directly to Omani universities by August 25, 2025 and send their details to the Embassy of Pakistan in Muscat at parepmuscat@ Online registration is also required via the Ministry's portal:
Business Recorder
4 hours ago
- Business Recorder
CCP's order against GCC Medical Centres upheld
The Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT) upheld the Competition Commission of Pakistan's (CCP) order against 20 medical centers and laboratories and their five associations for collusive price fixing, territorial allocation of customers, and other anti-competitive practices in mandatory pre-departure medical examinations for Pakistani workers bound for Gulf countries, according to a CCP statement on Friday. The tribunal upheld CCP's findings of competition law violations but reduced the penalties from Rs20 million per medical center and Rs10 million per GAMCA to Rs2 million per center and Rs1 million per GAMCA. CCP 2019 order: Appellate Tribunal grants partial relief to flour mills, upholds Rs35mn fine The case concerns a captive market of low-income Pakistani laborers — many securing manual jobs in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait — who must undergo medical tests at GCC-approved centers before departure. The CCP's inquiry found that GAMCAs in five regions — Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi, and Multan — allocated customers on a rotational basis. 'This eliminated competition on price and service quality. Workers were bound to a specific center, charged a uniform fee, and in some cases subjected to unnecessary repeat tests for additional payments.' The CCP initiated its inquiry on a complaint by the Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association (POEPA). The CCP's investigation concluded that fee fixation, territorial division, and equal allocation of customers by GAMCAs violated Sections 4 of the Competition Act, 2010. Dr Kabir Sidhu, Chairman CCP, warned business associations against facilitating collusive practices, price fixing, or allocation of business quotas. He stressed that such platforms should be used to promote sectoral growth, enhancing competition, and to benefit consumers. Any anti-competitive conduct will be dealt with strictly under the competition law.
