Change of command: Reshuffle in Lahore knowledge park’s top management

Punjab govt appoints new CEO, three more members in board.

LAHORE: In a major reshuffle in the hierarchy of the Lahore Knowledge Park Company (LKPC), the Punjab government has expanded its board of governors and appointed a new chief executive officer.

Punjab Procurement Regulatory Authority Managing Director Ali Bahadur Qazi was assigned the additional charge as the CEO of LKPC on Friday with three new additions in the board in the form of Dr Faisal Masood, Prof Zafar Iqbal Qureshi and Dr Kamran Shams.

“The step has been taken to make LKPC more dynamic and vibrant that would be able to implement the mega project of Knowledge Park to be established on government land comprising 852 acres at Dera Rakh Chahal adjacent to Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute, Bedian Road,” according to a statement issued on Friday.

While presiding over a meeting to review the progress according to the revised master plan of LKPC, Punjab Additional Chief Secretary Shamail Ahmad Khawaja directed the new CEO and his technical staff to initiate the civil works as soon as possible.

Initiation of basic road network, sewerage, boundary wall and other necessary infrastructure like construction of a supermarket, central zone and public transport parking zone would attract foreign investment from acclaimed universities, he believed.

The meeting reviewed in detail the scope of work and timelines of various phases of Lahore Knowledge Park in line with the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Apart from Ali Bahadur Qazi, Higher Education Department Punjab Special Secretary Tahir Yousaf, Additional Secretary Ajmal Bhatti, LKPC HR General Manager Farid Iqbal, Senior Manager (Corporate Affairs) MS Tayyaba Kamal, Senior Manager (Business Development) Asim Mushtaq and senior staff members Muhammad Nasir, Muhammad Rashid, Lt Col (retd) Tariq Aman, and S&GAD Additional Secretary (Welfare) Danish Afzaal and Additional Secretary (Transport) Ashiq Hussain Olakh also participated in the meeting.

Various renowned health universities and engineering universities from the US, UK, Italy, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, Turkey and Germany have sent letters of interest to establish their campuses at the knowledge park.

The total expenditure to complete the proposed project of the knowledge park has been estimated at Rs100 billion, which would be accomplished in four packages within a period of three years with the active participation of internationally reputed educational and health institutions.

The project has been envisaged to establish engineering, medical and information and communication technology hub with 20% equity from the Punjab government in the shape of land and the remaining 80% coming from universities wanting to establish their sub-campuses.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2017.