LAHORE (PR) - The Lahore Knowledge Park master plan has been approved by the Board of Directors of the Lahore Knowledge Park Company, set up by the Government of Punjab to oversee the development and marketing of the iconic project, the first of its kind in Pakistan.
Meeting under the chairmanship of Abdul Razzak Dawood in Lahore, the Board consisting of executives from the public and private sectors and academicians stamped their approval on the master plan submitted by Pakistan’s internationally reputed engineering firm, Osmani& Company. The plan was presented to the Board by the company’s executives, led by Harvard University, Director Faculty of Planning & Design Professor Dr Spiro Pollalis, a globally respected planning & design consultant.
Embodying the vision of Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif, the 107 billion rupees project will give Pakistan its first Technopolis – a smart city that will bring together academia and enterprise to engage in cutting edge research to take ‘Brand Pakistan’ into the global knowledge economy.
Shahid Zaman, CEO of the company, hailed the approval of the master plan as a historic event, and fulfillment of the vision of Chief Minister, Punjab describing it “as significant milestone in the overall plan to put Punjab and, by extension Pakistan, on road to accelerated economic and social development”.
“This”, he added “is the result of months of concerted effort involving first hand study of well known technology and science parks in Europe, Asia and USA and scores of meetings with recognized experts within and outside Pakistan”.
The Lahore Knowledge Park, modeled as it is on the Silicon Valley concept of Stanford Research Park, USA is more than a technology, a science or knowledge park. It is in essence a 4th generation knowledge &growth park that aims to convert the vision of Chief Minister, Punjab to create a “synergized world of Education, Innovation and Enterprise”. As such it will host Universities, Research and Innovation Hubs, Incubators, a world class International Convention Center, a Mixed Use Central Zone, a Central Park, and a Business Services Zone.
The approval opens the way for the detailed engineering design to begin on various components of the project, and construction work on basic infrastructure to start within months.