ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed authorities to take “all possible” measures to provide land, electricity and gas connections as well as tax incentives to attract more Chinese companies to invest in the special economic zones (SEZs) in Pakistan, his office said on Monday.
The directives were issued at a meeting PM Khan presided over in Islamabad on facilitating Chinese investors in Pakistani SEZs. It was attended by China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong, Pakistani Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, Planning Minister Asad Umar, PM’s aide on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Khalid Mansoor and other officials.
The development comes after PM Khan’s assurance to several Chinese business leaders last month that he would hold monthly meetings to “review progress regarding issues faced by Chinese investors.”
“Pakistan needs investment to accelerate industrialization,” he told participants of Monday’s meeting in Islamabad. “It is critical to create maximum employment opportunities for our growing population, 65 percent of which is under the age of 35.”
The attendees were informed that out of a total of 27 SEZs in Pakistan, work on five industrial zones in Sindh’s Dhabeji, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Rashakai, Bostan in Balochistan, Allama Iqbal Industrial City in Punjab and Balochistan’s Gwadar was in full swing.
“An effective one-window operation facility is being set up at each of these SEZs and a facilitation center in the CPEC Authority to resolve all issues of potential Chinese investors under one roof,” the PM’s office said in a statement.
In a Twitter post, Chinese Ambassador Nong said a successful webinar, titled “Political Economy of Pakistan and Business Environment,” had attracted nearly 200 participants from Chinese companies on Sunday.
“It has enhanced mutual understanding and strengthened their confidence in a win-win cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani business communities,” he said.
Pakistan offers ‘all possible’ utility, tax incentives to attract more Chinese investment
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Pakistan offers ‘all possible’ utility, tax incentives to attract more Chinese investment
- Prime Minister Imran Khan says his country needs investment to accelerate industrialization
- It is vital to creating employment opportunities in South Asian nation of roughly 220 million
Pakistan regulator says over 21,600 new companies registered in first half of FY26
- This reflects a 29 percent increase compared to the 16,839 companies that were registered during same period last year, says regulator
- These incorporations contributed $109.5 billion in paid-up capital, says Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan report
ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) said this week it registered over 21,600 new companies in the first half of the current fiscal year, reflecting rising investor confidence and positive economic outlook in the country.
In a report issued on Jan. 6, the SECP said it registered 21,668 companies in the first six months of the current fiscal year, adding that these incorporations contributed Rs30.7 billion [$109.5 million] in paid-up capital.
The report said this represented a 29 percent increase compared to the 16,839 companies registered during the same period last year.
“Pakistan’s business landscape continues to demonstrate strong momentum, reflecting rising investor confidence and a positive economic outlook,” the SECP report said.
The SECP said the latest increase has brought the total number of registered companies in Pakistan to 279,724. It said the top ten sectors by incorporations were led by the IT & e-commerce, with 4,277 companies, followed by trading (2,997 companies), services (2,686 companies) and real estate (2,031 companies).
“This sectoral diversity highlights expanding entrepreneurial activity, particularly in technology-driven and service-oriented industries,” the report said.
The SECP said foreign investment also remained “robust” during the period, adding that 524 newly incorporated companies received foreign investment amounting to Rs1.26 billion [$4.5 million] with the participation from 731 foreign investors.
“China emerged as the leading source, accounting for 71 percent of total inflows,” the SECP said. “It was followed by Afghanistan (8 percent), the United States (2 percent), and the United Kingdom, Germany, South
Africa, South Korea, Norway, Vietnam, Nigeria, and Bangladesh, each contributing 1 percent,” it added.
The SECP said an additional 11 percent of the investment originated from other countries.
