Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said on Friday that, if the decision were hers, she would not ask investors where their money came from. Speaking at the launch of the Punjab Innovation for Value Opportunity and Transformation (PIVOT) economic plan in Lahore, she said she was still bound to follow laws and regulations overseen by the federal government.
Nawaz said she had not introduced any new taxes in Punjab over the past two and a half years. She described keeping new levies at zero as a major achievement, and said the provincial government had worked to widen the tax base. She added that PIVOT was designed to tackle the problems businesses face, including access to finance, costly industrial land, high energy costs and regulatory obstacles.
PIVOT plan aims to draw investment and exports
Nawaz described PIVOT as a homegrown transformation plan covering industrial value chains, agro-processing, livestock, aquaculture, skills development, tourism and the digital economy. According to her, the programme seeks to add value to products, improve compliance and certification, and drive export-led growth. She said Punjab has the largest agricultural and industrial base in the country, along with a large young population that could become an economic asset if jobs and industrialisation keep pace.
In her view, lasting prosperity cannot rest on buying goods made elsewhere. She argued that Pakistan must instead become a producer, manufacturer and competitor in the global economy.
Nawaz also stressed law and order, saying factories, workers and daily operations need a secure setting. She recalled complaints from industrialists about workers being robbed of their wages and factory owners facing kidnapping and extortion. Such conditions, she said, weakened the confidence businesses need to operate and invest.
She urged government departments not to shut factories over regulatory matters without weighing the effect on production and workers. Where possible, she said, authorities should issue warnings and require compliance rather than order immediate closures. She maintained that environmental protection still matters.
On skills, Nawaz said the government had placed skills-development departments under a single umbrella to align training with business needs. She said 400,000 young people had been trained over the past year, and another 600,000 were expected to receive training next year. The government is also pursuing internationally recognised certifications to improve employment prospects and earnings.
On finance, she said the Asaan Karobar programme had provided Rs200 billion to small and medium-sized enterprises, supporting 117,000 businesses. The lending covers both greenfield and brownfield projects through several schemes. She also pointed to the e-Biz portal, which lets businesses apply online for licences, permits, no-objection certificates and other approvals, with 200,000 approvals issued so far. The system is meant to cut delays and reduce the need for applicants to visit offices in person.
Nawaz urged banks taking part in PIVOT to avoid overly strict lending conditions and collateral demands, warning that heavy terms should not discourage businesses from borrowing.
Industrial land, energy costs and shared testing facilities
Nawaz said high land prices could leave firms without enough capital for machinery, infrastructure and working capital. Under PIVOT, businesses would be able to lease land in industrial estates and special economic zones for between Rs80,000 and Rs200,000 per acre each month, avoiding a large upfront purchase. She criticised the practice of buying plots in industrial estates and reselling them for profit without setting up factories or production units.
The plan also includes a one-time import duty waiver on machinery and equipment brought into designated industrial estates and parks, for which she cited an allocation of Rs50 billion. A further Rs50 billion is earmarked for solar and battery-based energy storage in industrial clusters. Nawaz acknowledged rising energy costs, pointing to disruptions in oil supplies and the impact of the Iran-Israel war on prices, and said the plan’s measures were meant to ease these pressures.
Nawaz said PIVOT would set up testing laboratories, institutes and common facilities to help industrial clusters meet international standards and expand exports. She cited Sialkot’s sports goods and surgical instruments sectors, where some firms struggled to gain international certification because they lacked access to testing. She also mentioned Wazirabad, which makes fans, electrical appliances and cutlery, and said some products were sent abroad for glazing and testing because such services were unavailable locally.
The programme’s financing, she said, will be open to sectors able to drive exports and value addition. These include agriculture and food processing, pharmaceuticals, information technology and digital infrastructure, engineering and advanced manufacturing, chemicals, plastics and packaging. Support will be linked to results such as foreign exchange earnings, growth and job creation, with businesses assessed against key performance indicators.
Agriculture, livestock and aquaculture support under PIVOT
Nawaz said the government was investing in farm mechanisation to raise yields and cut losses at and after harvest. She cited Rs70 billion in mechanisation support and said 45,000 tractors had been provided or were being supplied under government initiatives. She also referred to support for super seeders and harvesters.
The plan will also back agro-processing facilities that turn crops such as citrus fruit, mangoes and potatoes into higher-value goods, including pulp, puree, jam, frozen fries and dehydrated products. The government is developing agro-processing parks to help farmers and businesses improve quality and expand exports.
On livestock, Nawaz cited a Rs150 billion investment and said 400,000 animals had been tracked and traced, with a target of 600,000 in the following year. Facilities are also being developed to help meat exporters meet the requirements of international markets. In aquaculture, she said the province had invested Rs110 billion and developed farms across 8,000 acres, with facilities for fish seed, feed and technical expertise under development.
Nawaz also highlighted potential investment in dairy processing and other products. She said Pakistan could capture more value from its farm and livestock resources by closing gaps in processing, certification and infrastructure.
Chief minister links wealth, corruption and business climate
Nawaz criticised what she described as a habit of linking wealth with wrongdoing. Businesspeople who earn money through hard work, she argued, should not automatically be treated as criminals. She said perceptions of this kind harm the business environment, adding: “When people work hard and earn money, our media also assumes that everyone who has money is a thief.”
She urged government departments to make it easier for businesses to operate while enforcing laws and regulations fairly. Businesses, she said, should not have to pay bribes to obtain routine approvals or to resolve legitimate complaints. She added that the government was pursuing corrupt officials and influential people accused of occupying land.
Nawaz also asked ministers to avoid unnecessary protocol and conspicuous security arrangements that inconvenience the public. She concluded that PIVOT was meant to create conditions in which businesses could invest, expand production, employ more people and contribute to exports, with government support tied to measurable outcomes.
