Shehbaz Seeks Business Input for Export-Led Growth

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked business leaders and industrialists for fresh proposals to strengthen Pakistan's exports, saying the country needs growth that is led by productive sectors rather than another short cycle of import-driven expansion.

The Islamabad meeting

The prime minister met leading businessmen, industrialists and entrepreneurs in Islamabad for a detailed discussion on export growth, taxation, energy costs, investment facilitation and regulatory barriers. Dawn reported that the meeting lasted more than two and a half hours at the Prime Minister's House.

Shehbaz told participants that Pakistan's future growth would have to be export-led. He said the purpose of the meeting was to hear business views early in the fiscal year, including the challenges exporters expect and the policy steps they believe could help increase export volumes.

Rs800bn enforcement claim

One of the main points from the meeting was the prime minister's claim that the government recovered Rs800 billion in one year through enforcement without imposing new taxes. He linked the recovery to long-pending structural reforms, court-case follow-up and stronger implementation by public institutions.

The claim is politically important because Pakistan's tax debate often centres on whether the state keeps raising rates on compliant businesses while failing to collect from those outside the net. Shehbaz's message to the business community was that enforcement, not only new taxation, can improve revenue if institutions follow through.

Exporters and tax relief

The prime minister said special tax relief had been extended to exporters in the federal budget. He also directed relevant authorities to review the possibility of extending the super tax exemption for exporters, according to Dawn's report.

That review matters for exporters who argue that high tax costs, energy prices and compliance burdens reduce Pakistan's competitiveness. The government is trying to show that export industries will be heard, but any tax relief must also fit inside Pakistan's tight fiscal commitments.

Energy costs and regulations

Shehbaz said reducing energy costs remained a government priority. For manufacturers, energy is not a side issue. It affects pricing, delivery schedules, cash flow and whether Pakistani goods can compete with producers from countries where electricity and gas are cheaper or more predictable.

The prime minister also referred to work on a regulatory guillotine, a process meant to remove unnecessary rules, simplify procedures and reduce compliance costs. If implemented seriously, that could help businesses spend less time navigating permissions and more time producing, exporting and hiring.

SMEs and export insurance

The meeting followed another recent export-related step: the launch of export insurance support through the Export Development Fund and the Export-Import Bank of Pakistan. APP reported that a Rs3 billion risk pool is meant to expand access to export credit insurance, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Export credit insurance can help smaller firms manage the risk of non-payment when selling abroad. For SMEs, that support can be the difference between staying limited to local markets and trying new buyers overseas. The government has also linked EDF reforms to research, skills development and competitiveness.

Business reaction

Business leaders welcomed the consultation and raised issues linked to investment, exports, taxation and emerging sectors. Industrialist Aamir Ibrahim said participants discussed traditional export sectors as well as telecommunications, digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence.

Pakistan Business Council chairman Ziad Bashir told Dawn that the prime minister spent much of the meeting listening to business concerns and suggestions. The test now is whether those suggestions turn into practical policy decisions rather than another round of polite consultation.

Pakistan's economy has moved from emergency stabilisation toward a search for sustainable growth, but export weakness remains one of the country's recurring problems. The latest meeting suggests the government understands the direction it wants. The harder task is building the confidence, energy pricing, financing tools and regulatory discipline that exporters need to deliver it.