CDA, STZA Partner to Develop Islamabad’s First Technology Zone
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA) have formed a joint working group to plan the establishment of a Special Technology Zone in Islamabad.
The decision was made during a high-level meeting chaired by CDA Chairman and Chief Commissioner Islamabad Muhammad Ali Randhawa and STZA Chairman Azfar Manzoor at CDA Headquarters.
Senior officials, including Dr. Khalid Hafiz, Member Planning and Design CDA, and Aamir Saleemi, Executive Director STZA, also attended.
Under the arrangement, STZA will act as the regulator, licensing high-tech companies and investors, while CDA will serve as the development agency responsible for infrastructure and urban planning.
The joint group will meet regularly to review financial and operational frameworks and finalize proposals for submission to the Federal Government.
Officials said the zone will attract hi-tech firms, startups, and innovation-driven enterprises, offering space for research, development, and manufacturing under a master plan that integrates technology and production areas.
Incentives such as tax rebates and duty exemptions are also under consideration to draw both local and foreign investment, once approved by the Federal Government.
Chairman Randhawa said turning Islamabad into a “technopolis city” through this project is among CDA’s top priorities. He emphasized that the zone would create new jobs, spur technological exports, and position the capital as a regional technology hub.
He added that a sustainable model based on international best practices is being developed, and CDA will continue working closely with STZA to move the project forward after federal approval.
Reference Link:- https://propakistani.pk/2025/10/15/cda-stza-partner-to-develop-islamabads-first-technology-zone/
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
