Mian Zahid Hussain, Chairman of the Policy Advisory Board of the FPCCI, Chairman of National Business Group Pakistan, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum & All Karachi Industrial Alliance, and Former Provincial Minister, today released a statement addressing the complex economic landscape of Pakistan.

He noticed a significant duality between international progress and pressing domestic challenges. On one hand, we have seen commendable progress on the international front, marked by Prime Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif’s successful visit to the SCO Summit in Beijing, which has opened a ‘new phase of economic partnership’ with China beyond the traditional CPEC framework. This strategic pivot from stabilization to growth, coupled with the Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) resilience in breaching the 150,000-point mark, demonstrates a powerful and positive macroeconomic story that is clearly resonating with investors.

However, Mr. Hussain emphasized that this forward momentum is being overshadowed by severe devastating floods in Punjab, which are the largest in the province’s history and have impacted over two million people,” he said. He highlighted that the widespread damage to crops in the nation’s primary agricultural heartland poses a significant risk to food security and could exacerbate inflationary pressures on essential commodities like flour. Despite government robust relief measures, the on-the-ground reality experienced by displaced families is a critical issue that demands immediate and effective action,” he added.

Mian Zahid Hussain highlighted that while the government’s National AI Policy and 5G spectrum auction are commendable, ongoing regulatory issues threaten these initiatives, particularly in telecommunications.

“The central challenge for our nation is to translate our visionary policies into tangible, on-the-ground results,” Mian Zahid Hussain concluded. “We must ensure that our strategic diplomatic successes are not undermined by our inability to manage domestic crises and resolve systemic bottlenecks. The business community stands ready to collaborate with the government to address these issues, fostering a unified and resilient approach to economic progress. Only by fighting this two-front battle—maintaining reform momentum while effectively responding to crises—can we secure sustainable, long-term growth for Pakistan.”