LAHORE: The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) on Thursday reviewed progress on agreements, MoUs, and joint ventures concluded during the prime minister’s recent visit to China, directing ministries to refine their data, streamline coordination, and finalise follow-up actions ahead of the next briefing to the prime minister.
The fourth meeting of the China-implementation monitoring committee, held at the SIFC Secretariat and chaired by the SAPM on Industries and Production, received a detailed progress report from the Board of Investment (BoI), highlighting active coordination between federal ministries and Chinese companies and government bodies.
The chair stressed that all information submitted to the prime minister must be complete, accurate, and quantifiable. Focal persons were instructed to conduct in-depth reviews of each MoU or joint venture before meetings. The Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Housing and Works were tasked with sharing details of the OASIS MoU with the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC).
Progress on the National Programme for Animal Disease Surveillance and establishment of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) zones was reviewed. The Ministry of National Food Security and Research briefed the committee on recent developments, with instructions to outline clear timelines for each step to enhance agricultural and meat exports.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) was directed to ensure separate representation from Customs and Inland Revenue Services in future meetings for better technical clarity.
Regarding Special Economic Zones (SEZs) reforms, the BoI informed the council that a summary proposing amendments to the SEZ Act has been sent to the federal cabinet. Once approved, it will be shared with federal and provincial stakeholders, including SEZ authorities.
The forum also assigned the Ministry of Commerce as the lead body for coordination with the Chinese textile firm M/s Challenge Fashion, with BoI and the Ministry of Planning providing all necessary documents for follow-up.
Delays in issuing NOCs for Chinese tourists, particularly to northern areas, were addressed, with IPC instructed to form a working group to develop a National Tourism Policy.
Finally, the council reviewed bonded warehouse operations in SEZs, directing federal and provincial SEZ authorities, including PIDC, PIEDMC, and FIEDMC, to submit timelines for FBR registration. FBR will provide unified policies and standard operating procedures for all bonded warehouses across SEZs.
Story by Asif Mehmood Butt
