PROVINCE REPORT
ISLAMABAD : Freedom Gate Prosperity (FGP) has submitted a comprehensive policy brief titled “Simplifying Business Regulations in Pakistan: A Roadmap for Improving the Business Environment” to relevant federal ministries, regulatory authorities and public institutions, urging coordinated reforms to reduce compliance burdens and create a more business-friendly regulatory environment.
The policy brief, developed under FGP’s #UnlockPakBusiness initiative following an extensive consultative process involving entrepreneurs, business associations, policy experts, legal practitioners and development professionals, has been shared with key stakeholders, including the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce, Board of Investment (BOI), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), Planning Commission, Ministry of Industries and Production, and relevant provincial authorities.
Muhammad Anwar, CEO of Freedom Gate Prosperity, said Pakistan possesses enormous entrepreneurial potential, but businesses, particularly SMEs, startups, and youth- and women-led enterprises, continue to face fragmented regulations, overlapping procedures and costly compliance requirements. He said the objective of the policy brief is not deregulation, but the creation of a modern, transparent and digitally enabled regulatory system that facilitates enterprise while ensuring effective governance.
The policy brief urges the federal government to establish a single Digital Compliance Gateway through which businesses can complete registrations, licensing and regulatory reporting using one integrated platform. It also recommends introducing a Unique Business Identifier recognized by all government agencies, rationalizing outdated regulations, standardizing regulatory procedures, expanding risk-based inspection systems, strengthening federal-provincial coordination, improving regulatory transparency, institutionalizing public-private consultations, adopting Regulatory Impact Assessments for major business regulations, and enhancing the institutional capacity of regulatory bodies.
FGP believes these reforms would significantly reduce compliance costs, accelerate business registration and licensing, improve transparency, encourage formalization of enterprises, strengthen investor confidence, and create a more enabling environment for entrepreneurship, investment and sustainable economic growth in Pakistan.
