Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday met with leading industrialists and business figures to discuss Pakistan’s economic outlook, export potential, and private sector challenges, reiterating the government’s commitment to sustained economic growth and investor-friendly reforms.
Welcoming the participants, the prime minister said economic stabilisation was the result of relentless efforts by his economic team, adding that the focus had now shifted towards long-term development, industrial expansion, job creation, and attracting foreign investment.
“We must now harness local resources to make Pakistan economically self-reliant,” he said, emphasizing regular consultation with business leaders to align policies with ground realities.
The premier vowed to personally meet with representatives of the business community every month to incorporate their feedback into the policy-making process.
“I am hopeful our future engagements will be as meaningful and result-oriented as today’s,” he added.
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The participants appreciated the government’s efforts under the prime minister’s leadership, especially in securing a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after a prolonged and challenging negotiation process.
They termed the recently announced federal budget a “people-friendly and pro-business” step and underlined the need for aligning policies with the demands of commerce, industry and foreign investors.
They also called for expanding facilitation for exporters and investors to boost foreign direct investment (FDI).
The business leaders praised the ongoing tax reforms and transparency in customs clearance systems at ports and welcomed the inclusion of private sector suggestions in the formulation of industrial development policies.
Federal ministers Rana Tanveer Hussain, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Awais Leghari, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Hanif Abbasi, and Jand Anwar Chaudhry were present at the meeting. Prime Minister’s Agriculture Coordinator Ahmad Umair, FBR Chairman and other senior officials also attended.
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Briefing the participants, officials said the budget aimed to provide relief to the common man, businesses and investors while remaining within available resources.
They noted Pakistan had ample potential for investment and industrial expansion, and efforts were underway to strengthen communication between the government and private sector.
The business community was assured that cost-reduction measures, particularly lower power tariffs, were being accelerated to make Pakistani exports more competitive. FBR’s ongoing digitization, they said, would further ease business operations and investment.
Officials also highlighted progress on the privatisation of state-owned enterprises, the introduction of a modern IT ecosystem for the first time in the country’s history, and the adoption of AI-driven systems in agriculture and other sectors.
Consultations with the private sector, especially exporters, were being intensified to expand port operations and make Gwadar Port fully functional, they said.
Prominent figures from the textile, agriculture, cement, and information technology sectors attended the meeting.