A delegation from the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) met Punjab Minister for Industries and Commerce Chaudhry Shafay Hussain on 9 November 2026 to finalise the development of a new industrial estate along the Rawalpindi Ring Road.

The estate is to be built on non-agricultural land to meet rising business demand, and the meeting agreed a joint working group to accelerate the project.

Working group to drive the project

The joint working group brings together the RCCI, the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) and provincial officials. Its members include ICCI President Muhammad Zakaria Akbar Khan, former ICCI president Khalid Javed and Chairman of the Hajveri Group Tauqeer Awan, alongside Secretary Industries and Commerce Muhammad Umar Masood and Chairman of the Punjab Industrial Estates Development and Management Company (PAIDMC) Shehzad Azam.

Minister Chaudhry Shafay Hussain said the formal notification for the working group would be issued shortly. The delegation was led by RCCI Patron-in-Chief Sohail Altaf and included RCCI President Nosherwan Khalil Khan and former president Asad Mashadi.

The minister said the project had the potential to generate employment and strengthen the economy. By focusing on non-agricultural land, the government intends to balance urban expansion with industrial need.

Finance schemes highlighted

The meeting also highlighted the provincial government's Asaan Karobar Finance Scheme and the PIVOT programme as support for industrial expansion. The RCCI leadership praised the incentives under the schemes, and the delegation noted that income tax exemptions and access to interest-free loans were critical to encouraging factory owners to establish operations in the new zone.

RCCI representatives said industrialisation remained the primary driver of national economic stability, and described the Rawalpindi Ring Road project as a potential game-changer for the region's business environment. They said the collaboration between chamber leaders and the provincial government showed a shared commitment to resolving infrastructure hurdles and creating new jobs through public-private partnerships.

An estate long in the making

The estate was first announced by the minister during a visit to the RCCI in late 2025, when he said a new industrial estate would be built near the Rawalpindi Ring Road in response to demand from industrialists. The 9 November meeting moves that plan forward, with the working group now tasked with streamlining the planning process.

The Rawalpindi Ring Road itself is a 38.3-kilometre, six-lane controlled-access highway running from Banth near Rawat to the Thalian interchange on the M-2 Lahore-Islamabad Motorway. Its main carriageway was reported to be almost complete in September 2026, although the planned opening ceremony was deferred while toll booths and weigh stations were finished.

The new estate is intended to give businesses dedicated space for growth along that corridor, attract domestic investment to the Rawalpindi region and create employment opportunities.