Pakistan Invites Global Investors at World Investment Conference

Federal Minister for the Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh has invited global investors to take advantage of emerging opportunities in Pakistan. He spoke at the ministerial roundtable “The Next Decade of Global Investment” at the 30th World Investment Conference (WIC 2026) in Geneva, Switzerland, organised by the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA). The conference runs from November 10 to 12.

Reform Agenda

The minister credited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with leading the reform agenda. He said Pakistan has introduced more than 500 regulatory reforms across about 30 sectors, coordinated with around 90 federal and provincial departments. “Pakistan is open for business,” he said.

Opportunities and Incentives

• Location: at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and China

• Ports: Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar

• Investment Policy 2023: allows up to 100% foreign equity in most sectors, with repatriation of capital, profits and dividends

• Special Economic Zones: a ten-year income tax exemption and a one-time customs duty exemption on qualifying capital goods

• Joint ventures: facilitated through the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC)

Priority Sectors

IT and digital services, agriculture and food processing, textiles and value-added manufacturing, mining and minerals, renewable energy, infrastructure, logistics, pharmaceuticals and tourism.

Business Facilitation Centre

In its first eight months, the Business Facilitation Centre in Islamabad served 5,386 businesses, processed 4,555 approvals and NOCs, facilitated PKR 5.08 billion in investment and supported 15,680 jobs. The minister cited an investor satisfaction rating of 9.8 out of 10.