ISLAMABAD:

The government on Wednesday decided to establish a new industrial estate on the land of the closed Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) and also sanctioned the diversion of Rs2.9 billion in publicity funds for the upgradation of an English news channel operated by the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV).

The decisions were taken by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. The ECC approved the establishment of the industrial estate on 3,200 acres of PSM land by changing its designated use from steel mills to industrial. The decision followed discussions with the Sindh government and deliberations in the apex committee of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).

The ECC also rescinded its two-and-a-half-year-old decision banning the lease of PSM land to any industry, organisation, group, or individual, a move aimed at facilitating the development of the new industrial estate over the 3,200 acres. The government is also attempting to revive the closed PSM with assistance from Russia. Last month, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Industries Haroon Akhtar Khan visited Russia and held talks on the mill’s revival. According to Khan, the Russians expressed willingness to finance and conduct a feasibility study for the project.

The matter of pricing PSM land remains open, although the SIFC has already instructed that instead of selling land for industrial purposes, the concerned entities should issue licenses, a step that would substantially reduce costs for setting up new factories.

The ECC directed the Board of Investment (BOI) to develop clear criteria and terms and conditions for the allotment of land to industrial units and private developers for the establishment of the industrial estate within one month.

The government maintains that the industrial estate should not be developed using taxpayers’ money and that private developers should be engaged instead.

PSM owns about 19,013 acres of land in Karachi. Of this, 6,409 acres are available for setting up an industrial estate. However, the Sindh government has stated that establishing such an estate would require a change in land use from steel mills to industrial.

The Ministry of Industries informed the ECC that Pakistan’s regional competitors are offering a wide range of incentives to attract investment in the manufacturing sector, extending far beyond the provision of land at subsidised rates. Furthermore, comparatively higher costs of energy, power, and taxes constitute major impediments that could be offset by granting land through licenses.

The ministry also noted that the PSM has accrued liabilities of around Rs400 billion and that land remains the primary source to offset these. Since the current proposal does not involve transferring ownership of the land, the option to leverage it to offset PSM liabilities at an appropriate stage would remain intact, it added.

The ECC also approved a supplementary grant of Rs2.9 billion for upgrading PTV World, the English news channel owned by the state-run PTV Corporation. The decision was influenced by the context of the India-Pakistan war.

Both military and civilian authorities believe the country requires more English-language channels to convey the state’s narrative to foreign audiences and the diplomatic corps in Pakistan. The Rs2.9 billion will be used to modernise PTV World’s infrastructure, enhancing its capacity for high-quality national and international broadcasting, the ECC was informed.

The Ministry of Information told the ECC that, through its special wartime transmissions, PTV World had made a vital contribution to safeguarding national and ideological interests, boosting public morale, and projecting the courage and professionalism of Pakistan’s Armed Forces on the international stage.

Based on this experience, the PTV Corporation emphasised the urgent need to upgrade and modernise PTV World’s infrastructure to meet the demands of emerging broadcast technologies. However, due to severe financial constraints and limited internal resources, the corporation cannot undertake this initiative independently. The government has decided to divert Rs2.9 billion from the Rs5 billion allocated in the budget for government publicity and advertisement expenditure. The finance ministry also agreed to reallocate the funds from the publicity budget.

The finance ministry stated that the ECC had sanctioned Rs2.9 billion for the upgradation of its English news channel to improve broadcast quality and expand outreach to global audiences. The ECC further urged the ministry to develop a comprehensive business plan to make the channel self-sufficient and financially sustainable, thereby reducing dependence on federal grants in the future. The ECC also approved the removal of the requirement for Health Quarantine Certificates on the import and export of leather, a step aimed at facilitating the leather industry and enhancing its competitiveness in international markets, according to a Ministry of Finance announcement after the meeting.

The committee additionally approved a supplementary grant for the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination for the current financial year 2025-26, enabling the ministry to strengthen initiatives for environmental protection and climate resilience through participation in the upcoming 30th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP-30) to be held in Brazil later this year.