The Punjab Central Business District Development Authority (PCBDDA), known as CBD Punjab, has announced that its flagship initiative, the CBD NSIT City, is approaching major infrastructure milestones, marking progress on what is billed as Pakistan’s largest and most advanced IT City.
According to CBD Punjab’s Executive Director Technical, Riaz Hussain, nearly 70 percent of the drainage system has been completed, while development works across Packages I, II, and III continue at pace. The authority plans to begin asphalt carpeting on Circular Road I and II in September, once the monsoon season subsides.
Hussain noted that the project is being executed in line with its original timeline. Upon completion of road networks, drainage channels, and circular roads, land plots will be handed over to universities, IT institutions, and private stakeholders for vertical construction. “This will mark the start of NSIT City’s transformation into a premier hub of information technology, innovation, and higher education,” he added.
The Celestia IT & Office Tower, located in the Silicon Block of NSIT City, has also reported steady progress. More than half of its structural and finishing works have been completed, with developers touting it as a high-rise set to redefine mixed-use living and luxury office space.
CBD Punjab’s CEO, Imran Amin, described the projects as “transformative” for Punjab’s economic and technological landscape. “The CBD NSIT City and Celestia IT & Office Tower will reshape Punjab’s urban and economic fabric while positioning it as a hub for IT, business, and modern living,” Amin said.
While the project’s pace is encouraging, experts caution that infrastructure progress alone does not guarantee success. Critics note that similar large-scale ventures in Pakistan have often struggled to attract sustained investment, integrate with existing urban systems, or deliver on promises of job creation. Concerns have also been raised about whether the benefits of such developments will be accessible to the wider public or remain concentrated among elite business interests.
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As CBD Punjab moves closer to its next milestones, the project stands at a crucial juncture: it could either become the catalyst for a thriving IT-driven economy or risk becoming another symbol of ambitious planning without inclusive outcomes.