Type | Special Economic Zone |
---|---|
Legal status | Operational |
Headquarters | Rashakai, Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan |
The Rashakai Special Economic Zone (Rashakai SEZ) is a key initiative within the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework. Positioned in Rashakai, Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it stands as one of the nine special economic zones planned for establishment between 2017 and 2030 as part of the CPEC initiative. Covering an area of around 1,000 acres, the zone's development is organized into three distinct phases.
On 21 July 2023, former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif officially opened the first phase of the Rashakai SEZ. [1] Subsequently, on the next day, Muhammad Azam Khan, the Caretaker Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also inaugurated Phase-I of the Rashakai Special Economic Zone. [2]
The construction for the initial phase of the Rashakai SEZ concluded in March 2023, [3] [4] surpassing the anticipated completion date of December 2023. [5] The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company (KP-EZDMC), a government-owned entity, played a central role in achieving this early completion. [6] [7]
The initial phase of the Rashakai SEZ spans across 247 acres, offering essential infrastructure. This includes dedicated internal roads, drainage systems (inclusive of an effluent treatment plant), an 11KV power supply, gas connections, and communication networks up to the zero point of the zone for enterprises. Additionally, the phase incorporates tailored facilities such as a workshop, complex building, apartments, and other necessary civil works to support the zone's operations. [8]
The Rashakai SEZ, strategically located near the M-1 motorway and Torkham border, is anticipated to be a pivotal development for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. [9] Its promising location is likely to attract both domestic and foreign investors, stimulating economic growth and projections indicate over 70,000 direct and 250,000 indirect employment opportunities. [1]
Mardān is a city in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, Mardan is the second-largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is a fast-growing city that experienced a population boom in the latter half of the twentieth century.
Nowshera is the capital city of Nowshera District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is the 78th largest city in Pakistan and ninth largest city in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Infopark, Kochi is an information technology park situated in the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. Established in 2004 by the Government of Kerala, the park is spread over 260 acres (105.2 ha) of campus across two phases, housing 546 companies which employs about 63,600 professionals as of 2022.
Rashakai is a small town located along the Nowshera-Mardan road, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
InfoPark Thrissur is an information technology park situated in Koratty near Chalakudy of Thrissur District in Kerala. This is the first information technology park in the state that has become operational under the 'Hub and Spoke Model', where InfoPark, Kochi acts as the hub and InfoPark Koratty as the spoke. The park is located 45 km from Kochi, 35 km from Thrissur, 5 km from Chalakudy and around 14 km from the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery. It is fully owned by the Government of Kerala. The InfoPark is associated with Kerala State IT Mission and Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Ltd.
Pervez Khan Khattak is a Pakistani politician who served as the Minister of Defence from August 2018 until April 2022. He had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from August 2018 till January 2023. Prior to that, he served as the 22nd Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 2013 to 2018, elected to the Provincial Assembly from Nowshera District. He was a senior member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf until July 2023, when he formed his breakaway faction, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P). On 12 February 2024, he left the chairmanship of the PTI-P and took a break from politics tenders resignation as PTI-P chairman due to ‘health issues’.
China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a 3,000 km Chinese infrastructure network project in construction in Pakistan. This sea-and-land-based corridor is aimed to secure and reduce the passage for China's energy imports from the Middle East, by avoiding the existing route from the Straits of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia, which, in case of war could be blockaded, and thus hamper the Chinese energy-dependent economic avenues. Developing a deep water port at Gwadar in the Arabian Sea and a well built road and rail line from this port to Xinjiang region in western China would be a shortcut for boosting the trade between Europe and China. In Pakistan, it aims to overcome an electricity shortfall, infrastructural development and modernize transportation networks. Along with shifting it from an agricultural based economic structure to industrial based.
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SK Hydro also known as Suki Kinari HPP, is an under-construction, run-of-the-river hydropower project located on the Kunhar river in the Kaghan valley of Mansehra District Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has an installed generation capacity of 884 MW.
The Western Alignment refers to the portions of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which are located in the Pakistani provinces of northwestern Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The M-14 Motorway, also known as the Islamabad–Dera Ismail Khan Motorway and the Hakla–Yarik Motorway, is a four-lane north–south motorway in Pakistan. The 285-kilometre-long (177 mi) motorway is a part of the Western Alignment of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, and offers high speed road connections between the Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area, and the southern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province around Dera Ismail Khan.
Pabbi is a tehsil located in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The tehsil is named after the Pabbi town, which is located on the GT Road.
Mahmood Khan is a Pakistani politician who was the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from August 2018 till January 2023 and a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He had been a member of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from August 2018 till January 2023, when he, as Chief Minister, dissolved the Assembly.
The Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA) is a regulatory body established by the Government of Pakistan to promote and regulate the establishment and operation of Special Technology Zones (STZs) in the country. The authority is responsible for creating an enabling environment for the technology sector to thrive and attract local and foreign investments, fostering innovation, and driving economic growth.
The Warsak Canal Project is an initiative focused on enhancing agricultural practices in the Peshawar and Nowshera districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
The Dir–Chitral Motorway is a proposed motorway project in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The project aims to provide a major boost to tourism and trade activities throughout the region.
The Bannu Economic Zone or BEZ constitutes a pivotal component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Situated in the region of Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it holds prominence as one of the 17 economic zones designated for creation by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government under the overarching CPEC framework. Commencing with an initial land area encompassing approximately 408 acres, the first phase of the zone's development has successfully concluded.
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