Ahmed Khan Malik

The Gadani Marble City continues to struggle for development despite years of promises, announcements, and high hopes attached to the project.

Conceived as a specialised economic zone aimed at boosting Pakistan’s marble and granite sector, the city remains largely on paper while the region’s potential lies untapped.

Launched in the mid-2000s, the Gadani Marble City project was designed to cover more than 3,000 acres of land near the Lasbela district, a region endowed with abundant deposits of marble and granite.

The marble industry in Pakistan desperately needs modernisation, and Gadani could still become the centerpiece of that transformation, but only if promises finally translate into action.

The idea was to create a cluster of processing units equipped with modern machinery, standardised cutting and polishing facilities, and dedicated export-oriented industrial plots. Policymakers believed this project would not only reduce wastage of raw stone but also bring Pakistan into competition with international marble markets such as Italy, Spain, and Turkey.

However, nearly two decades later, the site paints a different picture. Development work has moved at a snail’s pace, investors remain hesitant, and basic infrastructure such as electricity, water, and roads is still lacking. One of the major hurdles in the progress of Gadani Marble City is poor coordination between federal and provincial authorities.

While the Board of Investment and the Ministry of Industries have repeatedly announced incentives for investors, the implementation has been weak on the ground. Land allotment disputes, lack of clear policy direction, and shifting political priorities have further hampered confidence.

The marble sector in Pakistan is already facing challenges such as outdated extraction methods, low value addition, and high wastage. According to industry experts, Pakistan loses up to 70% of its marble due to the use of dynamite-based blasting instead of modern wire-cutting technology.

“Gadani Marble City was supposed to address this by introducing shared technology parks, training centres, and research facilities. Yet, the delay in development has left these promises unfulfilled,” Nadeem Raza, a marble sector expert, told WealthPK. He said investors, particularly small and medium enterprises, complain about a lack of supportive infrastructure.

“Without a reliable power supply, water resources, and transport connectivity, setting up processing plants becomes financially unfeasible. Moreover, security concerns in the region and bureaucratic red tape have further discouraged potential stakeholders,” he said. Local communities, too, had attached hopes to the project, expecting employment opportunities and economic uplift.

The marble industry is labour-intensive, and a fully functional industrial city could have generated thousands of jobs directly and indirectly. “In a province like Balochistan, where unemployment is high and industrial activity limited, such initiatives could play a transformative role,” Majeed Baloch, a local councillor, told WealthPK.

Unfortunately, with little visible progress, these hopes continue to fade, he said. He urged transparent land allocation and fast-tracked infrastructure development to accelerate development in the area.

Credit: INP-WealthPk