Islamabad, July 28, 2026: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan on Tuesday called for transforming the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and Türkiye into stronger economic partnerships, reaffirming the government’s commitment to private sector-led growth and enhanced bilateral trade.
Addressing a press conference at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Haroon Akhtar described the ICCI Business Opportunity Conference and Excellence Awards, scheduled to be held in Istanbul on August 13, as a timely initiative aligned with the vision of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to increase bilateral trade to US$5 billion.
He said Türkiye was Pakistan’s “second home” and stressed that the close political and historical ties between the two countries should now translate into greater investment, joint ventures, technology transfer and business-to-business collaboration.
Haroon Akhtar announced that he would lead the Pakistani business delegation to Türkiye and facilitate productive engagements with Turkish investors and entrepreneurs to strengthen commercial cooperation.
Highlighting Pakistan’s economic outlook, he said the country had entered a new phase of political and macroeconomic stability, boosting international confidence in its economy. He added that the government’s top priority was to empower the private sector, accelerate industrialisation and position Pakistan as a competitive manufacturing and export hub.
He said reforms were underway to improve the ease of doing business by simplifying regulations, rationalising tariffs and enhancing industrial competitiveness.
The special assistant further said the government was introducing progressive industrial, automobile and electric vehicle policies while creating new opportunities in renewable energy, battery manufacturing, electronics and pharmaceuticals.
He added that special emphasis was being placed on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and exporters through easier access to finance, export refinancing, long-term financing facilities and targeted tax incentives.
Speaking on the occasion, ICCI President Sardar Tahir Mehmood thanked Haroon Akhtar for supporting the chamber’s international outreach initiatives.
He said the Business Opportunity Conference in Istanbul would showcase Pakistan’s economic potential, facilitate high-level business-to-business meetings, attract investment, promote joint ventures and technology transfer, and create new export opportunities in sectors including real estate, construction, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, information technology, agriculture, food processing, textiles, tourism, engineering and logistics.
Tahir Mehmood said the ICCI remained committed to projecting Pakistan as a peaceful, reliable and investment-friendly destination while strengthening economic diplomacy through private sector engagement.
He expressed confidence that the conference would contribute significantly to achieving the shared Pakistan-Türkiye goal of expanding bilateral trade to US$5 billion and opening a new chapter of economic cooperation.
Turkish Embassy Commercial Counsellor Enes Malik Cetin praised the ICCI’s initiative and expressed confidence that the visit would strengthen trade and investment relations between the two countries through productive business-to-business engagements.
The press conference was attended by ICCI Founder Group Chairman Sheikh Tariq Sadiq, Senior Vice President Tahir Ayub, Vice President Irfan Chaudhry, former ICCI presidents, executive members and representatives of the business community from Islamabad.
