ISLAMABAD – Web Desk: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with a delegation of leading industrialists and prominent business figures to accelerate economic growth and consult with the business community regarding the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget, according to officials.
The delegation included Mian Muhammad Mansha, Arif Habib, Atif Bajwa, Muhammad Ali Taba, Musadaq Zulfiqar, Ziad Bashir, Shahzad Salim, Zilaf Munir, Omar Saeed, Omar Mansha, Yousuf Saeed, Kamran Arshad, Khurram Mukhtar, Asif Peer, Sultan Gohar Ijaz, Fawad Anwar, Zulfiqar Hayat, Javed Iqbal, Yousuf Hussain, Amer Ibrahim, Khawaja Masood Akhtar, and Ijaz Nabi.
The Prime Minister stated that consultations with the business community are extremely important for policymaking regarding Pakistan’s economy, with export-led growth being the axis of economic policy. He said steps are being taken to bring the informal economy into the tax net, and business-friendly policies have stabilized the economy and restored external investor confidence. The government is promoting industries that increase domestic production, boost exports, and create maximum employment opportunities.
The delegation was briefed on government initiatives for promoting business, industry, and trade, including reforms in tax tribunals, formation of a committee for special commercial courts, ongoing work on M-10 motorway upgrades and a prepaid freight corridor, and M-13 (Kharian-Rawalpindi) motorway construction to reduce distance between Lahore and Islamabad. Pakistan Railways’ ML-1 and ML-2 upgrades will improve rail infrastructure for commercial cargo. A National AI Transformation Plan is being formulated.
The delegation praised Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts for regional peace and expressed confidence in the economic recovery journey and financial management under the PM’s leadership. Business leaders thanked the PM for reducing electricity rates for industries, eliminating the Export Development Levy, and timely tax refund payments.
