Mian Zahid Hussain, President of the Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF) and the All Karachi Industrial Alliance (AKIA), Chairman of the National Business Group Pakistan (NBG), Chairman of the FPCCI Policy Advisory Board, and former Provincial Minister, has congratulated Mr. Atif Ikram Sheikh, President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Mr. S. M. Tanveer, Patron-in-Chief of the United Business Group (UBG), the organizers, chambers of commerce from across the country, trade associations, participants, and supporters on the successful organization of the First Pakistan Economic Summit 2026, held under the auspices of FPCCI and the United Business Group.
Speaking to the business community, Mian Zahid Hussain stated that the two-day national economic conference held in Jinnah Convention Centre, Islamabad, demonstrated that Pakistan’s traders, industrialists, exporters, investors, businesswomen, economists, and representatives from various sectors are united on a common national economic agenda, rising above regional and sectoral interests. He said that the enthusiastic participation of the business community from all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and districts across the country—including chambers of commerce, women chambers, small chambers, sectoral associations, and the corporate sector—gave the Summit a truly national character. The platform provided an excellent opportunity to highlight local industries, business challenges, export opportunities, investment requirements, and proposals for economic reforms at the national level, which is a historic and highly encouraging development.
Mian Zahid Hussain stated that Pakistan cannot achieve balanced and sustainable economic development as long as planning, financial resources, and administrative authority remain centralised in the federal and provincial capitals. Pakistan’s economic future lies in district-level autonomy, as employment, industry, agriculture, trade, infrastructure, law and order, public services, and other civic issues are fundamentally linked with the local population living in districts and union councils. He further stated that, alongside District Autonomy, Union Councils must also be administratively and financially empowered. Weak, inactive, and resource-constrained Districts and Union Councils cannot serve as the foundation of a strong governance system. Union Councils are best positioned to identify the genuine needs and priorities of local communities, while autonomous district governments can transform those needs into integrated development plans that bring prosperity to the people for a stronger Pakistan.
Mian Zahid Hussain further stated that District Autonomy can immediately improve tax collection, roads, water supply, drainage, healthcare, education, skills development, markets, industrial zones, agricultural support services, and digital public services. A district-based governance system operating from the grassroots upward would strengthen public accountability, accelerate the implementation of development projects, and reduce unnecessary administrative burdens on provincial governments. He further emphasized that district Economic Autonomy should not remain subject to temporary administrative orders or changing political arrangements; rather, it should be accorded clear and permanent constitutional protection through a constitutional amendment. The administrative, financial, and economic powers of districts, revenue collection mechanisms, fiscal distribution arrangements, institutional continuity, and performance standards should be constitutionally defined.
Mian Zahid Hussain further proposed that, alongside the Deputy Commissioner, District Police Officer (DPO) and many other district officers, a “District Economic Commissioner”, should be appointed in each district, supported by a District Economic Secretariat. The District Economic Commissioner should prepare a comprehensive economic profile of the district, facilitate investors, and mobilize the capabilities of local governments, district chambers of commerce, trade associations, sectoral associations, industrialists, farmers, SMEs, women entrepreneurs, universities, and technical experts to promote ease of doing business, value addition, and exports. The District Economic Commissioner should also serve as the focal point for economic coordination between the federal and provincial governments and present an annual performance report to the public.
Mian Zahid Hussain further stated that the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), being the country’s largest representative organization of traders and industrialists, should be institutionally linked with District Economic Commissioners so that locally produced goods from every district can be promoted at both the national and international levels through FPCCI’s extensive network. Likewise, FPCCI may be assigned an important role in disseminating information on emerging global economic and business trends to district chambers of commerce and local businesses. He stated that the proposed system would enable all districts of Pakistan to make a meaningful contribution towards exports, value addition, e-commerce, industrial production, investment, innovation, employment generation, and national prosperity.
Mian Zahid Hussain stated that the First Pakistan Economic Summit, organized by FPCCI and the United Business Group, has played a significant role in uniting the business community around the common objective of economic recovery. He emphasized that the next step is to transform this success into a practical framework for national development based on the concept of district autonomy.
