ISLAMABAD: The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has identified 38 projects across key economic sectors that are expected to attract approximately $40 billion in investment, as Pakistan steps up efforts to facilitate domestic and foreign investors.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The development was shared during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, chaired by Senator Rana Mehmoodul Hassan on Thursday.
SIFC officials informed the committee that the identified projects cover mining, industry, railways, roads, maritime affairs, power, information technology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, tourism and food security.
The officials also confirmed that the Brownfield Refinery Policy had been approved, with five refineries signing implementation agreements involving proposed investments of approximately $6 billion.
The committee was briefed on SIFC’s engagement with Chinese companies and investors from Qatar and Kuwait, alongside initiatives to facilitate foreign investment through simplified regulatory procedures, improved visa arrangements and single-window operations.
Committee Chairman Rana Mehmoodul Hassan observed that obtaining No Objection Certificates (NOCs) had previously been a major hurdle for investors, but improvements had been witnessed following SIFC’s intervention. He stressed the need for further simplification of procedures and reduction of regulatory barriers.
Senator Saadia Abbasi highlighted bureaucratic inefficiencies and emphasised that responsibility for addressing such shortcomings rested with the leadership. She also sought details of concrete incentives being offered to attract foreign investment.
Senator Abdul Qadir raised concerns over Pakistan’s high cost of doing business compared with regional economies, particularly in terms of electricity tariffs and financing costs. He also pointed to multiple regulatory requirements, tax notices, difficulties in profit repatriation and competition from smuggled goods.
He called for a coordinated relief mechanism involving the federal government and the State Bank of Pakistan to improve investor confidence and safeguard both existing and prospective investments.
The committee emphasised the importance of continued SIFC efforts to facilitate investors and strengthen Pakistan’s competitiveness as an investment destination.
Officials also informed the meeting that regional developments, including the ongoing US-Iran conflict, had disrupted trade and business activities, making it difficult to provide reliable statistical projections and final investment figures at this stage.
NEPRA Briefs Committee on Power Sector Performance
Separately, senior officials of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) briefed the committee on the operational performance of independent power producers (IPPs), including capacity factors, tariff structures, capacity payments and the regulatory framework governing electricity generation tariffs.
The briefing was conducted in the absence of the NEPRA Chairman, who could not attend due to illness.
Officials informed the committee that several power plants had operated at capacity factors below 50 per cent, primarily due to variations in electricity demand from the national grid. However, no power plant had recorded zero electricity generation.
NEPRA officials also explained the statutory framework under Section 31 of the NEPRA Act, covering cost recovery, returns on capital and quarterly tariff indexation for the National Power Parks Management Company (Balloki) project.
The committee was further informed that third-party heat rate testing of residual fuel oil (RFO)-based power plants had been awarded to the National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) through an international competitive bidding process.
Committee members stressed the importance of independent verification of the test results to ensure transparency, accuracy and accountability in evaluating power plant performance.
By Naveed Siddiqui
