Key committee lacks industry representation

Published
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attends the SCO head of states meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16, 2026. — PM Office/File
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attends the SCO head of states meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16, 2026. — PM Office/File

ISLAMABAD: The committee constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to review policies concerning the key sectors of the economy, as proposed by the Ministry of Industries and Production, lacks stakeholder representation.

The committee, headed by Climate Change Minister Dr Musadiq Malik, has been tasked with reviewing the four policies, including the Next Generation Energy Storage Policy, Auto and Auto Parts Policy 2026-31, Mobile and Electronic Devices Manufacturing Policy and Solar Cells Manufacturing Policy.

Those included are ministers, advisers and secretaries of 11 ministries, SIFC, FBR, NTC and the PSQCA. In addition, the committee includes international consultants and representatives from LUMS and Lahore School of Economics.

However, the committee has no representation from the Engineering Development Board (EDB) and the relevant industries.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers (PAAPAM) has expressed concerns about the committee’s constitution, questioning the rationale for appointing an unrelated ministry to oversee a highly complex, technical industrial policy.

In a statement, PAAPAM Chairman Usman Malik has said that the local auto parts sector had spent the last 12 months in intense deliberations with the Ministry of Industries and the EDB to finalise the five-year policy.

“We are shocked that an entirely unrelated minister has been given charge of revisiting a policy that was made with industry-wide consensus,” he deplored.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2026

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