Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed authorities to accelerate the implementation of measures aimed at improving the ease of doing business, saying the government’s policy reforms and the implementation of the Easy Business Act 2025 should be expedited to unlock Pakistan’s investment potential, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Chairing a review meeting in Islamabad, the prime minister said securing third-party validation from international institutions was essential to independently assess the effectiveness and implementation of the government’s ease of doing business reforms.

He said harnessing the country’s potential for both domestic and foreign investment remained one of the government’s top priorities, and directed officials to prepare and present a comprehensive report on the implementation of ease-of-doing-business measures at the earliest opportunity.

PM Shehbaz also commended the Law Ministry, the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), the Board of Investment, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industries, and all other relevant institutions for their work on legislation and policymaking aimed at improving the business environment.

Officials briefed the meeting on progress made so far and the future course of action. They said work had been completed on 558 reforms designed to reduce regulations, paperwork, and approval requirements for businesses across the country. Of these, 71 policy measures had already been implemented, while work on a further 272 measures was progressing rapidly. The reforms are being implemented in seven phases across different sectors.

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The meeting was informed that the measures were expected to save the business community an estimated Rs468.7 billion by reducing regulatory requirements and compliance costs.

Officials said eliminating unnecessary and complex paperwork and regulations would help increase exports, attract greater foreign direct investment, and create new employment opportunities.

The prime minister directed that the implementation of ease-of-doing-business reforms, along with the employment opportunities generated as a result, should be given significant weight in the performance evaluations of officers of the relevant institutions.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers, senior government officials, the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, chief secretaries from all four provinces, as well as Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and Azad Kashmir, while international experts participated via video link.