Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of the decline in Pakistan’s exports and directed senior officials to engage directly with exporters to identify and resolve key bottlenecks affecting trade and industry.

On the prime minister’s instructions, Federal Secretary for Commerce Jawad Paul and Federal Secretary for Industries Saif Anjum arrived in Karachi and held an extensive meeting with exporters at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) headquarters, also known as Federation House.

Officials from the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), industry and trade departments, along with business leaders from across the country, joined the meeting both in person and online.

Exporters representing the textile, fruits and vegetables, tourism, and logistics sectors briefed the federal secretaries on the challenges facing their industries.

They highlighted rising business costs, energy shortages, and operational hurdles as major factors contributing to declining export performance. FPCCI President told the meeting that escalating energy prices were severely undermining the competitiveness of Pakistani exporters.

Govt assures full support to export sector

Addressing the gathering, Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul said the prime minister had given a clear mandate to resolve exporters’ problems on a priority basis.

“The government is fully aware of the issues, and the prime minister is personally overseeing efforts to revive exports,” he said, adding that direct engagement with stakeholders was part of a broader reform strategy.

New export processing zone planned

Industries Secretary Saif Anjum informed exporters that a new export processing zone would be established on 6,000 acres of land belonging to Pakistan Steel Mills.

He said the initiative aims to provide modern infrastructure and incentives to boost industrial activity and export-oriented manufacturing.

During the meeting, FPCCI’s senior vice president questioned the performance of Pakistan’s trade and commercial officers posted abroad, stressing the need for more effective market access and export promotion.

Officials assured participants that these concerns would be reviewed as part of the broader export revival plan.