ISLAMABAD, July 17, 2026: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed federal institutions to accelerate business regulatory reforms that officials estimate could save companies Rs468.7 billion in compliance and administrative costs.
Chairing a review meeting on ease-of-doing-business measures, the prime minister ordered faster implementation of the Easy Business Act 2025 and called for an independent assessment of whether the reforms were reducing paperwork, attracting investment and creating jobs.
Officials told the meeting that technical and policy work had been completed on 558 proposed reforms aimed at simplifying regulations, documentation and approval procedures for businesses.
Of these measures, 71 had been implemented, while work on the implementation of another 272 was progressing under a seven-phase programme covering different sectors.
Reforms Could Reduce Business Costs
The meeting was informed that the regulatory changes could save the business community an estimated Rs468.7 billion by reducing expenses linked to administrative requirements, complex procedures and compliance conditions.
Officials said eliminating unnecessary regulations and paperwork could help increase exports, attract foreign direct investment and create new employment opportunities.
The prime minister directed the relevant institutions to prepare and submit a comprehensive report on the implementation and impact of the ease-of-doing-business reforms.
He also called for third-party validation by international organisations to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures and determine whether they were producing measurable results.
Investment and Job Creation Prioritised
Shehbaz Sharif said making full use of Pakistan’s potential for domestic and foreign investment remained among the government’s key economic priorities.
He appreciated the work of the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Special Investment Facilitation Council, the Board of Investment, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industries and Production and other relevant institutions involved in preparing and implementing the reforms.
The prime minister also directed that progress on business reforms and the employment opportunities resulting from them should be given significant weight when evaluating the performance of officials in the relevant departments.
The meeting was briefed on progress made so far and the next phase of the reform programme.
Federal ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, Jam Kamal Khan, Ahad Khan Cheema and Syed Mustafa Kamal attended the meeting.
Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani, Adviser to the Prime Minister Muhammad Ali, Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar, Attorney General Mansoor Awan and senior government officials were also present.
State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmad, the chief secretaries of all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and international experts joined the meeting through video link.
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