- Prime Minister says the initiative would facilitate technology transfer, skill development, and sustainable industrial growth
- Meets with the company’s delegation, expressing Pakistan’s willingness to ‘take bilateral ties to new heights’
- Assures the delegation of facilitation for setting up the zone as part of industrial component of CPEC
- Expresses Pakistan’s desire to set up more such units across the country and hoped to benefit from China’s textile sector
- PM Shehbaz also meets Bangladesh’s HC, says keen to expand cooperation in political, economic and cultural spheres
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday inaugurated a special economic zone (SEZ) in Islamabad to be set up by a Chinese textile group—projected to generate exports worth $400 million for the country, the state media reported.
PM Shehbaz welcomed the establishment of an SEZ, saying that the “initiative would facilitate technology transfer, skill development, and sustainable industrial growth,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
The project will be set up by the Chinese textile group Challenge Fashion Private Limited, which is set to invest $100m over five years in the project.
A delegation of Challenge Fashion Private Limited of China meets with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.#ShehbazSharif #PMShehbazSharif pic.twitter.com/ErotAVJXN3
— APP (@appcsocialmedia) August 15, 2025
PM Shehbaz met with the company’s delegation—led by its chairman Huwang Weiguo—expressing Pakistan’s willingness to “take bilateral ties to new heights,” APP quoted him as saying.
Federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Jam Kamal, Attaullah Tarar, Ali Pervez Malik, Sardar Awais Ahmad Leghari, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi were also present at the meeting.
The prime minister assured the delegation of his government’s complete facilitation for setting up the zone as part of the “industrial component of CPEC”, and thanked the delegation for having faith in the Pakistani market, APP reported.
PM Shehbaz expressed Pakistan’s desire to set up more such units across the country and hoped to benefit from China’s textile sector.
On that note, he shared 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,” APP reported him as saying.
Chairman Huwang said he aims to establish a modern textile industry in Pakistan and thanked the PM for his support and hospitality.
In July, at a high-level meeting, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal assured a Chinese delegation that the establishment of SEZs remains the federal government’s top priority.
PM welcomes revival of bilateral mechanisms with Bangladesh
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday underlined the revival of bilateral mechanisms as key to rebuilding relations with Bangladesh as he received Dhaka’s High Commissioner for a courtesy call in Islamabad.
The meeting with Md Iqbal Hussain Khan comes amid a remarkable realignment in South Asia’s geopolitics. Since the fall of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024 and her subsequent flight to India, Dhaka’s traditionally close relationship with New Delhi has grown strained. The shift has created an opening for Pakistan and Bangladesh—once a single nation until the bloody 1971 war of independence—to move past decades of frosty ties.
High Commissioner of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, H.E. Mr. Md. Iqbal Hussain Khan calls on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.#HighCommissioner #Bangladesh #Meeting #PrimeMinister pic.twitter.com/inXlQYsAtx
— APP (@appcsocialmedia) August 15, 2025
“He expressed satisfaction at the revival of various bilateral mechanisms between the two sides,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement, quoting the premier. “He stressed upon the importance of maintaining this momentum to carry forward their bilateral ties.”
The prime minister also recalled his “warm and productive” interactions with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus at the D-8 summit in Cairo last December and said Pakistan was keen to expand cooperation in political, economic, and cultural spheres while enhancing trade and people-to-people contacts.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif received the High Commissioner of Bangladesh, H.E. Mr. Md. Iqbal Hussain Khan, for a courtesy call.
The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction over the growing engagement between Pakistan and Bangladesh, recalling his warm interactions with… pic.twitter.com/VKeWcifWZT— APP (@appcsocialmedia) August 15, 2025
The Bangladesh HC briefed PM Shehbaz on steps being taken by both countries to facilitate travel, trade, and connectivity and expressed his desire to continue working to “further strengthen the historic bonds of friendship,” according to the PMO statement.
The PM wished the envoy success in his assignment and expressed confidence that his tenure would “witness positive developments” in the bilateral relationship.
