ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to merge the Board of Investment into the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) as part of efforts to make Pakistan’s investment system faster, more effective and investor-friendly for foreign investors, particularly China.
Sources said on Saturday that the integration process is expected to be completed before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s anticipated visit to China on May 23, where investment cooperation and CPEC Phase-II are expected to feature prominently in discussions.
Officials said the move forms part of broader efforts to strengthen institutional coordination under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is increasingly focused on industrial cooperation, business-to-business investment, special economic zones and export-oriented growth.
Under the new framework, the SIFC will assume a more central role in promoting foreign investment and overseeing implementation of investment policies across key sectors.
The council has also been tasked with preparing a comprehensive roadmap for special economic zones, regulatory reforms and investment facilitation measures aimed at improving ease of doing business and investor confidence.
Officials maintained that placing investment facilitation under a more integrated institutional structure would help accelerate decision-making, reduce bureaucratic delays and improve coordination among federal and provincial stakeholders.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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