Pakistan’s recent decision of going for a comprehensive Regulatory Reform Package for the period between 2025 and 2030 comes at a crucial juncture in the country’s economic trajectory. For several years, the business community has been concerned about the cost of compliance, the time it takes to start and run a business, and the ambiguity caused by having disparate procedures in the different tiers of government.

These are not just concerns; they have translated into lack of investor confidence and a business environment that has not been able to keep up with the changing requirements of modern commerce. Against this backdrop, the new reform package is a timely and encouraging effort to ease regulatory friction and chart a new path forward that is more investment friendly.

Many studies demonstrate the magnitude of the challenge from within Pakistan. PIDE’s study “Time to Deregulate” gives a good picture of how overlapping layers of rules and permissions have created a complex environment for businesses. The study highlighted that regulatory burden, as it is, when combined across all levels of government, comprises a significant portion of national output, and is a major barrier to innovation. Another significant report “The State of Commerce in Pakistan”........

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