KARACHI: The private sector is eyeing the government’s extensive land bank, which has great potential to be used as a catalyst for housing and infrastructure development in the country.

The matter was discussed during Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s visit to the Arif Habib Group’s head office on Monday. Discussions were held on economic outlook, capital markets, the investment climate and the Government’s ongoing reform agenda.

The meeting highlighted the opportunity to unlock the government’s extensive land bank through public-private partnership (PPP) models, with land contributed as equity to catalyse housing and infrastructure development and to accelerate project execution.

The discussion further underscored the importance of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) as transparent, fully documented investment vehicles capable of mobilising domestic liquidity into productive sectors, supporting infrastructure development and broadening investment opportunities.

PBC presents plan to generate up to $1.9bn in new exports

The participants discussed the need for further measures to stimulate private investment, create employment and increase government revenues.

The finance minister assured the government’s commitment to maintaining macroeconomic stability, implementing structural reforms and fostering an investment-friendly environment through continued collaboration with the private sector.

The government remains committed to maintaining macroeconomic stability while implementing structural reforms that strengthen Pakistan’s competitiveness and improve the ease of doing business, the minister said.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to maintaining close engagement between policymakers and the private sector to deepen capital markets, encourage productive investment, expand employment opportunities and support long-term economic growth.

Speaking on the occasion, Arif Habib said the progress achieved in restoring macroeconomic stability has laid a strong foundation for Pakistan’s next phase of growth. The remarkable performance of the Pakistan Stock Exchange and the revival of IPO activity reflect renewed investor confidence.

Pakistan Business Council

In a separate meeting, the Pakistan Business Council (PBC) leadership presented a private-sector-led export growth agenda to the finance minister, aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s competitiveness and accelerating foreign exchange earnings.

During the meeting, the PBC shared a time-bound export acceleration plan under which the private sector could help generate an estimated $1.1 billion to $1.9bn in incremental exports over 12 months, with $450 million to $700m realisable during July-December 2026, subject to timely government action on key policy enablers.

PBC Chairperson Dr Zeelaf Munir presented ‘Building Brand Pakistan: Unlocking Processed Food Export Potential’, which highlighted how Pakistan can move from commodity-led exports to higher-value, brand-led exports. Dr Zeelaf added, Pakistan must now build a broader export model based on value, trust and competitiveness.

“Brand Pakistan is not limited to one sector; it is a national export strategy. With policy stability, institutional support and public-private partnership, Pakistan can move from exporting volume to exporting value,” she said.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2026