Can SEZ Industrial Parks Help Pakistan Become an Export Powerhouse?

Asian Tigers built their strong economies by becoming export powerhouses. China has done so in more recent decades. How can Pakistan do the same? An answer to this question came this week from Karen Chen of China's Challenge Apparel. Here's what she said as reported by Dawn News : “Chinese want to shift their business to a place where they can set up their operations in 3-6 months. You know when you go overseas to invest even in Africa they have industrial parks ready. You just go there and enjoy the ‘plug-and-play’ facility. No firm wants to waste two years in acquiring land and another couple of years in securing utilities to start operations. By the time you get utilities the opportunity is gone and you are already out of business. This is the biggest problem in Pakistan.” Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation Building in Karachi Pakistan was the original " Asian Tiger " back in the 1960s when other developing Asian economies sought to emulate Pakistan. It