ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top investment body on Tuesday said it had finalized plans to resolve key issues related to the country’s economic sectors of agriculture, information technology, minerals and energy.
Pakistan in June set up the SIFC — a civil-military hybrid forum — to fast-track decision-making and promote investment from foreign nations, particularly from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations. The council has pinpointed five key sectors for attracting investment: agriculture, mining, information technology, defense production, and energy.
The South Asian country established the council as it grapples with a serious economic crisis that has seen its currency weaken against the US dollar over the past one year amid staggering inflation. Pakistan is also facing an acute balance of payments crisis amid increasing foreign debt.
The SIFC’s executive committee held its fifth meeting on Tuesday to review measures for improving the investment environment in the country, a statement from the body said.
“After healthy debate, the Committee formulated workable options, by drawing consensus among stakeholders, to resolve key impediments to investment environment in the country,” the SIFC said. “The plans were also finalized to resolve issues related to four key sectors (Agri, IT, Minerals and Energy) besides, adding new projects to the forum.”
Last week, Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, during his visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, met business and thought leaders and stakeholders to pitch the forum to them and made the case for improved business climate in Pakistan together with its potential for foreign direct investment in a range of sectors.
Earlier this month, Kakar confirmed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would invest $25 billion each in cash-strapped Pakistan within the next five years as part of projects under the SIFC.
Saudi Arabia has also explored investment opportunities in Pakistan’s mining sector and contributed $500 million to modernize Pakistan’s agricultural sector through the Land Information and Management System Center of Excellence (LIMS-CoE). This continued financial backing from Gulf allies is crucial for Pakistan’s economic stability.
Pakistan moves to remove investment impediments in agriculture, IT, mining and energy sectors
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Pakistan moves to remove investment impediments in agriculture, IT, mining and energy sectors
- Pakistan in June set up Special Investment Facilitation Council, a civil-military forum, to attract foreign funding
- SIFC’s executive committee meets to review measures to improve Pakistan’s investment environment
Security forces kill four militants in Pakistan’s volatile southwest, military says
- Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency
- The Balochistan government has recently established a threat assessment center to strengthen early warning, prevent ‘terrorism’ incidents
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces gunned down four militants in an intelligence-based operation in the southwestern Balochistan province, the military said on Tuesday.
The operation was conducted in Balochistan’s Kalat district on reports about the presence of militants, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
The “Indian-sponsored militants” were killed in an exchange of fire during the operation, while weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the deceased, who remained actively involved in numerous militant activities.
“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorist found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.
There was no immediate response from New Delhi to the statement.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency involving Baloch separatist groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).
Pakistan accuses India of supporting these separatist militant groups and describes them as “Fitna Al-Hindustan.” New Delhi denies the allegation.
The government in Balochistan has also established a state-of-the-art threat assessment center to strengthen early warning and prevention against “terrorism” incidents, a senior official said this week.
“Information that was once scattered is now shared and acted upon in time, allowing the state to move from reacting after incidents to preventing them before they occur,” Balochistan Additional Chief Secretary Hamza Shafqaat wrote on X.
The development follows a steep rise in militancy-related deaths in Pakistan in 2025. According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) last month, combat-related deaths in 2025 rose 73 percent to 3,387.
These included 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians and 28 members of pro-government peace committees, the think tank said.
