From Guns to Growth: The Promise of North Waziristan’s EPZ

Once a battleground, North Waziristan is now opening its doors to trade, investment, and opportunity through an Export Processing Zone.

A Region Reborn

Once synonymous with turbulence, militancy, and mass displacement, North Waziristan stood for decades as a symbol of Pakistan’s most intractable challenges. Its rugged mountains and valleys witnessed repeated conflict, earning headlines as a frontier far removed from the country’s economic mainstream.

Today, however, a different story is unfolding. At the heart of this once-restive region, an Export Processing Zone (EPZ) is emerging as a catalyst for peace and prosperity – signalling a shift from strife to stability, and from warfare to welfare. It is not just an industrial venture; it represents economic transformation as a pathway to lasting peace.

From Conflict to Commerce

Nestled near the Afghan border, North Waziristan District is a land rich in culture and mineral wealth, long overshadowed by instability. Recognizing this potential, the Frontier Works Organization (FWO), through its subsidiary Degan Exploration Works (DEW), has stepped in to convert untapped resources into engines of commerce, jobs, and connectivity.

The vision is clear: build opportunity from within, drawing on indigenous resources, engaging local talent, and blending technical expertise with community ownership. Instead of being defined by its past, the region can now emerge as a hub where tradition meets trade and prosperity underpins stability.

The North Waziristan District Mineral Sector EPZ

Under the Export Processing Zone Authority Ordinance (1980) and updated rules of 1981 and 2023, the North Waziristan District Mineral Sector EPZ was formally declared EPZ in 2023. The Muhammad Khel Copper Project is the flagship of the EPZ, aims to attract investment, create jobs, and unlock regional trade potential in value-added mineral products. Copper mined in the area is processed locally into concentrate for 100% export, with prices determined through transparent bidding under the London Metal Exchange (LME). Exports then move via Karachi Port to international destinations.

What makes the project distinctive is its indigenous base: developed through local resources and expertise, with electricity, road networks, housing, logistics, and security all arranged by DEW. Strategically located, the EPZ also strengthens Pakistan’s regional commerce through connectivity with CPEC-linked routes and beyond.

Community Development and CSR

The EPZ has rolled out a wide-ranging community uplift program. Sixty-five percent of jobs go to locals, without discrimination. A new school provides access to education, a maternity hospital serves mothers and infants, and a modern water system has improved daily life. Scholarships abroad and cultural exchanges are broadening horizons for youth, while tree plantations – from orchards to rose gardens, symbolize renewal.

These interventions show the EPZ is not merely an industrial site, but a platform for human development, environmental stewardship, and social reintegration.

Beyond Economics: A Model for Stability

Economic zones are typically judged by trade facilitation and investment flows. In North Waziristan, however, the meaning goes deeper – jobs, infrastructure, and livelihoods are transforming perceptions and anchoring peace.

The restoration of the state’s writ has created the conditions for normalcy, with displaced families returning, markets reopening, and a cautious sense of stability emerging. Yet security is only the first step. For peace to endure, it must be anchored in opportunity – jobs for the youth, education for the next generation, and investment that translates into dignity and hope. Without this foundation, the gains of stability risk remaining fragile. With it, the region can truly move from recovery to lasting prosperity.

Peace Through Prosperity

The logic is simple: extremism cannot thrive where opportunity exists. By creating livelihoods, the EPZ is giving young people alternatives to conflict and pathways to dignity. Traders now see new export markets; farmers envision processing facilities for their produce. Optimism is gradually replacing despair.

Each job created, each facility built, signals to the community, especially its youth that legitimate livelihoods are within reach. The EPZ positions North Waziristan not as a periphery, but as part of Pakistan’s economic heart.

Voices of Renewal

Local elders call the EPZ a lifeline for the next generation. Women and youth speak of education, jobs, and dignity. Investors view it as a frontier market with untapped potential. Policymakers point to it as a model linking security with economic progress.

During a recent visit to North Waziristan, the journey from Miran Shah to the EPZ site offered a striking contrast between the scars of the past and the hopes of the future. Once-fortified checkpoints now lead to roads bustling with workers, schoolchildren, and traders. Local youth proudly guided visitors through orchards and rose gardens planted under the EPZ’s community program, describing them as symbols of renewal. This transformation – visible not only in infrastructure but in people’s aspirations – underscored how deeply the promise of the EPZ is felt on the ground.

Together, these voices and experiences underscore a single truth: development is the strongest guarantee of lasting peace.

The Road Ahead

Challenges remain – investor confidence, infrastructure upgrades, and sustained security will be vital. Addressing these will determine whether North Waziristan’s progress becomes not just a local success, but a replicable model for post-conflict regions across Pakistan. Yet the direction is clear. North Waziristan is no longer just a byword for conflict; it is positioning itself as an economic gateway.

Development must be recognized not as a by-product of peace, but as its foundation – and the North Waziristan EPZ shows how this principle can be turned into practice.

Closing Note

The North Waziristan EPZ is more than a development project – it is a symbol of transformation. It proves that peace is not only negotiated in conference rooms but built in workplaces, schools, and communities. For Pakistan, the lesson is clear: durable security rests on inclusive economic growth. From guns to growth, North Waziristan’s journey is no longer about what was lost, but about what can be built.