World Economic Forum: Qaiser highlights reforms, investor facilitation

Federal Minister for Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh told the World Economic Forum's Sustainable Development Impact Meetings 2026 in New York that Pakistan has carried out wide-ranging regulatory changes and investor facilitation steps, according to Business Recorder. He spoke at the opening panel of the Global Regulatory Innovation Platform, saying the government aims for rules that are minimal, simple, clear and predictable while keeping essential safeguards. He added that rules should give investors room to plan, stay adaptable to shifting conditions and still keep public trust.

The minister said more than 500 regulatory reforms had been carried out across about 30 sectors, in coordination with roughly 90 federal and provincial departments. He pointed to the Business Facilitation Centre in Islamabad, which has brought 22 federal agencies together to deliver registrations, licences, permits and approvals. In its first eight months the centre served 5,386 businesses and handled 4,555 approvals and NOCs. It helped bring in Rs5.08 billion of investment while supporting 15,680 jobs, and investors rated its service 9.8 out of 10 for satisfaction.

On emerging technologies, he said Pakistan is pursuing controlled experimentation through regulatory sandboxes, a mechanism the SECP and State Bank have already used. He also noted that eligible enterprises in the 44 notified Special Economic Zones can claim income-tax exemptions up to 2035, depending on conditions.