Maryam Nawaz launches Rs1,995.3bn Punjab export plan

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz launched a Rs1,995.3 billion industrial plan on Friday that her government says will move the province from raw production into value-added manufacturing and exports by 2029.

The Punjab Innovation, Value Addition and Economic Transformation (PIVOT) Plan 2026-29 sets targets of $6.8 billion in additional exports, 162,000 new direct jobs and support for more than one million livelihoods over three years, according to Daily Times, which reported the launch in detail.

The financing splits into Rs1,089 billion of public investment and a Rs906 billion private-sector target. Under the Strategic Trade Enhancement Programme, run through a new digital portal, the government has earmarked Rs300 billion in concessional financing at rates of zero to five per cent for eligible commercial categories, subject to the programme's terms.

Rs753.7 billion is directed at industrial output, value addition and export competitiveness. The government has set aside Rs50 billion for solar installations and battery energy storage systems, and Rs50 billion to reimburse machinery duty so manufacturers can upgrade plants and meet international quality standards. The named value chains include garments and textiles, sports goods, leather and footwear, surgical instruments, pharmaceuticals, fans, cutlery, steel and ceramics.

"Punjab is ready to move towards a new model of economic growth," Maryam said at the launch, in remarks reported by Daily Times. "Our objective is to create an environment where businesses can invest with confidence, industries can expand and our people can access better employment." She said the government would facilitate and industry would lead.

On agriculture, four agro-processing parks are planned in Sargodha, Khanewal, Okara and Bhakkar, with horticulture authorities in 20 districts and work on wheat, citrus, potato and mango value chains. Livestock, dairy, aquaculture and halal meat supply chains are also covered.

The plan envisages training 402,060 people over three years, digitising 300 administrative services through an E-Biz initiative, bringing 2,000 firms onto e-commerce platforms, and new public-private partnership and state land lease rules across nine sectors.

Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb will chair a PIVOT Board on the chief minister's behalf. A PIVOT Secretariat will sit in the Planning and Development Department, with a cell in the Chief Secretary's Office, deputy commissioners as district focal persons and progress tracked on a central dashboard and industry scorecard.

State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad attended, along with Mian Mansha, Arif Habib, Fawad Mukhtar, Ziad Bashir and Osman Khalid Waheed, ambassadors and representatives of the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and UN agencies. Arif Habib announced plans for a commercial tower at Lahore CBD One, which the government described as Pakistan's tallest. Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman told the launch the concept would be operationalised within six months.