PM Shehbaz Orders Major Steps to Boost Pakistan’s Exports, Economic Growth
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed authorities to take major steps to accelerate Pakistan’s economic growth through higher and more diversified exports, calling for new industries and products to be prepared for international markets alongside the country’s traditional export sectors.
Chairing a high-level review meeting on exports and economic growth, the prime minister directed officials to make export expansion a foundation of Pakistan’s broader growth strategy.
Shehbaz said Pakistan needed to diversify its trade by bringing more sectors and industries into export-oriented activity, rather than relying predominantly on established export categories.
He also ordered measures to bring Pakistani products in line with international quality requirements, strengthen quality-assurance systems and ensure compliance with global standards and regulations.
A major focus of the government’s strategy will be value-added exports. The prime minister said increasing value addition would improve both the value and competitiveness of Pakistani products in international markets.
He further called for greater use of modern technology, research and innovation in export-oriented industries, alongside increased digitalisation of the economy.
Authorities were instructed to identify and remove administrative and business obstacles faced by exporters and make export procedures simpler, faster and more transparent.
The meeting was briefed on progress in implementing an already approved strategic roadmap for increasing exports. Officials also reviewed proposals covering access to new markets, export diversification, product-quality improvements and measures to facilitate businesses.
New Markets and Products Targeted
Pakistan is pursuing negotiations with several friendly countries for free trade agreements and preferential trading arrangements designed to increase market access for Pakistani goods, according to the briefing presented to the prime minister.
Authorities are also working to bring more Pakistani horticultural products into the export chain.
In the medical sector, efforts are underway to increase exports of Pakistani surgical and medical equipment by encouraging local exporters to participate in international hospital procurement and tender processes.
Trade exhibitions including TEXPO, the Health Engineering and Minerals Show and FoodAg are also being organised in different Pakistani cities to introduce international companies and buyers to locally manufactured products.
Officials said work was underway to modernise intellectual property laws to support greater innovation in exports, while the restructuring of the Export Development Fund (EDF) had been completed.
The latest directives are consistent with the government’s broader export-led economic strategy.
Last week, the government announced that the Export Finance Scheme envelope had been increased from Rs1 trillion to Rs1.5 trillion for FY2026-27, including Rs300 billion earmarked for SME exporters, agricultural SMEs and new borrowers. A separate Rs350 billion Long-Term Export Growth Financing Facility has also been introduced to support investment and expansion of export capacity.
Prime Minister Shehbaz has also recently directed authorities to reduce unnecessary delays in trade procedures and lower the cost of doing business. At the first meeting of the Trade Facilitation Board on September 10, he called for improved trade facilitation and greater integration of Pakistan into regional and global supply chains.
The government has increasingly framed exports as the next stage of its economic strategy following a period focused primarily on macroeconomic stabilisation. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has described export-led growth as a central pillar of the FY2026-27 budget, supported by tax, financing and tariff reforms aimed at improving international competitiveness.
The challenge will now be translating those policy measures into sustained increases in production, investment and export earnings.
