Mr. Saquib Sherazi today presented a private-sector perspective on Pakistan’s industrialization and trade dynamics to the participants of 123rd NMC. He highlighted Pakistan’s economic resilience amid global shifts, including trade wars and geopolitical realignments, while underscoring persistent challenges such as fiscal volatility during election cycles and imbalances between labor distribution (25.4% in industry) and GDP contribution (18.1%). Mr. Sherazi emphasized the urgent need to harness strategic opportunities, particularly in the digital economy where Pakistan’s IT sector ($3.8B exports) remains vastly underleveraged compared to peers like the Philippines ($35B).
The session explored pathways to enhance competitiveness, stressing the importance of policy stability, fair taxation, and leveraging Pakistan’s geostrategic location to attract investment. Mr. Sherazi called for a shift toward self-reliance through export-focused industrialization and capitalizing on high-potential sectors like IT, which offers significant revenue-per-worker advantages. An engaging discourse followed even during Q&A session, where the participants discussed practical steps to translate these insights into public-private collaboration for sustainable growth.
