ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) on Thursday called for the return of the agriculture and industrial sectors to federal policymaking under the proposed 28th Constitution Amendment to correct the “missteps” made under the 18th amendment almost two decades ago.

In a letter addressed to various political parties and the government, the Punjab-based non-partisan body said the country’s long-term economic interests could only be safeguarded through a national policy structure for both central sectors of the economy.

It asked major political parties to include comprehensive economic safeguards in the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment to ensure long-term economic stability and policy continuity. The forum also advocated the need for a stable, predictable and growth-oriented economic framework, stating that frequent policy changes had negatively affected investor confidence and hampered sustainable economic progress.

PBF President Khawaja Mehboobur Rehman said the business community was increasingly seeking consistency and continuity in economic policymaking to support long-term investment and industrial planning. He emphasised the importance of strengthening national coordination in agriculture and industry through an improved constitutional framework.

Business forum urges constitutional rollback via 28th amendment

“The transfer of the agriculture and industrial sectors to the provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendment did not produce the desired outcomes,” the PBF claimed, noting that Pakistan’s annual cotton production, which stood at around 12 million bales before the amendment, had now declined to nearly five million bales.

The PBF further observed that the wheat sector had faced persistent challenges in recent years, including policy uncertainty, import-related issues and weak inter-provincial coordination. It argued that in many major economies, the agriculture sector remained closely coordinated at the federal level to ensure national cohesion and food security.

The business body stressed that parliament should utilise the opportunity presented by the proposed 28th amendment to introduce constitutional protections for key economic principles, including fiscal discipline, currency stability and continuity of long-term economic policies.

According to the PBF, the current governance structure had contributed to fragmented policymaking and regulatory inconsistencies among provinces, affecting productivity, investment flows and industrial growth.

In view of these concerns, the PBF recommended the development of a stronger national coordination mechanism for agriculture and industry to ensure uniform policy implementation and greater economic coherence across the country.

The PBF also warned that overlapping federal and provincial regulations continued to create procedural complications and discourage new investment, resulting in what it termed “jurisdictional confusion” in economic governance.

The PBF president further urged parliamentary leadership to use the 28th amendment to advance meaningful economic reforms, particularly the restoration of agriculture and industry to federal control to ensure stronger and more coordinated economic governance.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2026