ISLAMABAD: The Economic Policy and Business Development (EPBD), a think tank, hosted a high-profile delegation of DIALOG — a global leadership platform founded by Peter Thiel and Auren Hoffman.
EPBD Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera welcomed the DIALOG delegates and introduced the EPBD think tank and its current work, especially highlighting a critical truth: Pakistan’s economic future depends on demand-driven, evidence-based policy reform. The meeting is signalling international intellectual engagement aimed at reshaping Pakistan’s economic future.
He emphasised that Pakistan’s economic revival now depends on demand-driven, evidence-based policy reform, with the private sector at the centre of growth.
Sukhera briefed the DIALOG delegation on EPBD’s ongoing work, including: the Development of shadow policies and five-year sectoral development plans created in close partnership with the business community, the launch of Pakistan’s first Wealth Perception Index, and mapping the country’s top 40 business groups and their economic influence. Pakistan’s economic future hinges on demand-driven policy, said EPBD CEO. A model designed to empower the private sector to lead Pakistan’s economic turnaround, backed by data rather than bureaucratic guesswork.
With millions of young Pakistanis entering the job market, only private sector growth—supported by fair interest rates, rational taxation, and lower cost of doing business—can generate the jobs our economy urgently needs.
“The government cannot employ everyone,” he said, stressing that only a competitive, expanding private sector — supported by fair interest rates, rational taxation, and a lower cost of doing business — can generate the jobs the economy urgently requires.
Sukhera underscored that Pakistan’s real policy deficit lies in the disconnect between the government and the business sector.
He said EPBD’s mission is to bridge this long-standing gap, ensuring that economic policies reflect real market needs rather than bureaucratic assumptions.
The EPBD chief told the DIALOG delegation, hosted at Lake City, that Pakistan must now shift towards enabling businesses to grow, compete, and hire — a model followed by every successful emerging economy.
“Pakistan needs policies that let businesses breathe and lead,” he said. “EPBD is building the platform where the government and private sector can finally pull in the same direction — toward a prosperous Pakistan.”
The DIALOG delegation was led by former Ambassador Ali Jehangir Siddiqui, who thanked the chairman of the EPBD, Gohar Ejaz, for hosting and arranging the event, as well as inviting business people.
DIALOG, established in 2006, brings together some of the world’s most influential decision-makers from politics, business, technology, academia, the military, and creative industries to discuss solutions to the planet’s most pressing challenges.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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