Islamabad (Commerce Desk) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with a high-level delegation of leading industrialists and prominent business figures of the country, during which consultations were held on accelerating the overall pace of economic growth and the upcoming fiscal year 2026-27 budget.
The delegation included several well-known business personalities, including Mian Muhammad Mansha, Arif Habib, Atif Bajwa, Muhammad Ali Tabba, Musaddiq Zulqarnain, Ziad Bashir, Shehzad Saleem, Zilaf Munir, Umar Saeed, Umar Mansha, Yousuf Saeed, Kamran Arshad, Khurram Mukhtar, Asif Pir, Sultan Gauhar Ejaz, Fawad Anwar, Zulfiqar Hayat, Javed Iqbal, Yousuf Hussain, Aamir Ibrahim, Khawaja Masood Akhtar, and Ijaz Nabi.
The Prime Minister welcomed the delegation and said that business personalities are ambassadors of Pakistan’s economy and play a key role in representing the country globally. He stated that the support of the business community during difficult economic conditions is commendable, and a strong partnership between the government and the private sector is essential for economic growth.
He further said that consultation with the business community in policymaking is extremely important. The government is pursuing an export-led growth policy and is taking steps to bring the informal economy into the tax net.
According to him, upcoming budget measures will include steps to provide relief to the public, while business-friendly policies have helped stabilize the economy and improve investor confidence.
The Prime Minister said the government is focusing on promoting industries that can increase production, exports, and employment opportunities. He added that the industrial, agriculture, and information technology sectors will play a key role in economic stability.
He also noted that technical and vocational training programs for youth have been launched to increase employment opportunities and enable them to contribute effectively to national development.
During the meeting, the delegation was given a detailed briefing on government initiatives, including reforms in tax tribunals for the speedy resolution of tax disputes and the introduction of a transparent recruitment process. A committee has been formed for the establishment of special commercial courts.
The briefing further stated that work is underway on upgrading Motorway M-10 to improve access from Karachi Port to the interior, along with the Peppri Freight Corridor project, while the construction of M-13 will reduce the distance between Lahore and Islamabad. Upgrades of Pakistan Railways’ ML-1 and ML-2 projects will improve commercial transportation.
Officials said that a National AI Transformation Plan is also being developed, while the use of video analytics in the sugar and cement sectors has resulted in improved revenue collection.
The delegation praised the Prime Minister and his team for Pakistan’s economic recovery, diplomatic efforts, and business-friendly policies, and expressed confidence in the government’s initiatives.
Business leaders also appreciated the consultation process in the upcoming budget and thanked the government for reducing electricity tariffs for industries, abolishing the Export Development Levy, and ensuring timely tax refunds.
The meeting was attended by several federal ministers, senior officials, and representatives of relevant institutions.