Pakistan's government is making bold claims for a new apparel hub on the coast. The first phase of a proposed 400-acre garment city at Port Qasim is projected to create 138,125 jobs and generate around $2.2bn in exports a year, according to figures presented by Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, the federal minister for maritime affairs. Artistic Milliners, a Pakistani textile and denim maker, has committed more than $18m to set up a manufacturing unit there, the first named private investor in the scheme.
The minister announced the investment while chairing a meeting on the project. He said the export-oriented cluster would concentrate on high-value clothing and draw in private capital, and that it would be developed as a public-private partnership. The first phase is planned on 250 acres, with 35% of the land set aside for internal roads, utilities and green spaces. The commercial layout envisages 32 industrial plots of five acres each, though these could be cut to two or three acres to make room for more investors and factories.
The Port Qasim Authority (PQA) would supply infrastructure and utilities. Each unit would be entitled to up to 400,000 gallons of water a day, 2MW of grid electricity and 23,100 pounds of industrial gas daily at 8 pounds per square inch, enough to generate 10 tonnes of steam.
Across the whole project, planned capacity amounts to 13m gallons of water a day, 64MW of grid power and 750,000 pounds of industrial gas daily. Reliable supply of these inputs would be critical for an industry that depends heavily on water and energy.
Artistic Milliners' unit is to feature vertical integration and green technologies, according to the plan. Mr Chaudhry described private-sector participation as a central pillar of the venture.
Exporters would also benefit from a one-window system. This would include streamlined export processing, specialised customs desks and dedicated transport corridors, intended to cut the red tape that often slows shipments.
The project aims to push the average export value of garments to around $8 per piece. That target reflects the scheme's emphasis on higher-value apparel rather than basic, low-margin products.
The minister presented the initiative as part of a wider effort to expand Pakistan's industrial base and export capacity. The idea is to combine port infrastructure, utilities, customs facilities and private investment within a single apparel zone.
The projections are ambitious. The headline figures for jobs and exports are estimates for a project still at the proposal stage, and only one investor has so far been named. Whether the garment city lives up to its promise will depend on attracting many more manufacturers and on the authorities delivering the promised utilities.