KARACHI: Business and industrial community has appreciated the relief measures announced by Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif for industrialists in his recent address.
They expressed hope that the low cost energy and financial relief will accelerate industrial activity and play a key role in boosting exports. They said that the business-friendly policies, a fair tax system, and restoration of investor confidence are urgently needed to boot industrial activity.
FPCCI Vice President Amaan Paracha appreciated the measures taken by Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif to reduce the growing problems of exporters and importers, revive industrial activity affected by expensive electricity and gas, tax pressures, and economic uncertainty, ease the increasing burden on small and medium-sized enterprises, and prevent a rise in unemployment.
He said that although the problems are severe and exporters and importers are facing serious difficulties, the FTA between India and the European Union has further worsened the situation. In these circumstances, business-friendly policies, a simple and fair tax system, and the restoration of investor confidence are the need of the hour.
Paracha said that the Prime Minister’s vision for increasing domestic industry, trade, and exports is commendable, and that these announcements have been made at a time when the government is making strong efforts to boost exports, attract investment, and put the economy on a path of sustainable growth.
He added that if the bureaucracy implements the Prime Minister’s measures in letter and spirit, it will not only provide some breathing space to the industrial sector, but help reducing the tax burden on exporters to stabilise the economy.
However, he emphasised that there is a pressing need to curb rising poverty and unemployment and to pull stagnant exports out of the quagmire and provide them with the oxygen needed for growth.
However, President of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), Muhammad Ikram Rajput welcomed the relief measures for industries and exporters, terming them highly positive and timely for the national economy.
He stated that the measures announced by the Prime Minister in his recent address to provide relief to the industrial and export sectors will not only play a vital role in economic recovery but will also lead to a reduction in production costs, promotion of industrial activities, and an increase in exports.
The KATI President said that a reduction of PKR 4.04 per kilowatt-hour in electricity tariffs for industries will significantly lower production costs, enabling local industries to gain a competitive edge. Similarly, increasing the financing rate under the Export Refinance Scheme (ERS) from policy rate minus 3 percent to minus 6 percent is a major facility for exporters, providing them with cheaper and more effective financial support. He termed this move a major relief for the industrial sector.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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