Sindh Eyes Rs67 Billion Savings From Reforms
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has reviewed a package of regulatory reforms projected to deliver Rs67 billion savings a year in compliance costs. The 58 approved measures cover fisheries, aquaculture, dairy and beverages, and form part of a wider national drive to cut red tape.
At a meeting with the Prime Minister’s Coordination Committee on Regulatory Reforms on Wednesday, Mr Shah called for simpler procedures, faster approvals and reduced compliance costs, stressing that reforms must deliver tangible benefits to businesses and investors.
Rs67 billion savings: what the package covers
The 58 approved reforms under Package No 7 cover two sectors: 43 reforms for fisheries and aquaculture, and 15 for dairy and beverages. According to the briefing, the measures are expected to save 798 days in processing time for fisheries and aquaculture businesses, and 643 days for the dairy and beverages sector.
Annual compliance cost savings are estimated at Rs8.97 billion for fisheries and aquaculture, and Rs58.41 billion for dairy and beverages. Together, they add up to Rs67.38 billion a year.
The reforms include simplifying licensing and registration, eliminating duplicate documentation, reducing unnecessary inspections and expanding digital applications. For businesses that deal with multiple departments, those changes cut both time and cost at every step.
The meeting also reviewed digital business facilitation, the proposed Sindh Asaan Karobar Act, integration of provincial and federal business portals, and Pakistan’s performance under the World Bank’s Business Ready (B-READY) framework.
One-Stop Shop goes digital
A central part of the reform drive is the Sindh Business One-Stop Shop, which has automated around 150 business-related services across 19 provincial departments. The platform handles electronic applications, payments, verifications and certificates. More than 16,500 electronic permits have been issued so far, while over 800 government officials have received training.
The meeting also discussed integrating the platform with the federal Pakistan Business Portal, giving investors easier access to government services through a single window instead of separate provincial and federal channels.
The prime minister’s delegation was led by Adviser on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan. Provincial ministers Jam Khan Shoro and Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah and other senior officials also attended. Mr Khan stressed closer federal-provincial coordination, simpler business procedures and stronger digital platforms to reduce compliance costs and attract investment.
Where Sindh stands on B-READY
Officials identified 173 indicators relating to provincial and joint federal-provincial reforms under the B-READY framework, which uses Karachi as Pakistan’s representative city for assessing the business environment. Implementation has been completed for 12 indicators, while 161 remain outstanding, and nine were classified as partially implemented under the monitoring framework.
The action plan identifies 99 reforms for implementation by Sindh independently, and 74 requiring joint federal-provincial action. That split shows why coordination matters: nearly half the agenda cannot be delivered by the province alone.
The proposed Sindh Asaan Karobar Act, intended to institutionalise regulatory reforms and align provincial measures with the federal initiative, is undergoing scrutiny by the Law Department before consideration by the provincial cabinet. The meeting also reviewed plans for an Investment Climate Improvement Cell to monitor reforms and facilitate implementation across departments. Recruitment through the Institute of Business Administration Karachi is underway, with the team expected to be in place by December 2026.
A national programme, not a one-off
The Sindh package sits inside a broader national programme covering 581 reforms across eight packages, expected to save businesses more than Rs163 billion annually. That context matters: Sindh’s Rs67.38 billion is a large share of the national total, which reflects the size of the province’s dairy and fisheries sectors.
What happens next
Related coverage from Feature Pakistan
- The federal government has scrapped outdated business rules under the Companies Act.
- Punjab has approved a Rs1.995 trillion industrial export plan.
- The government raised Rs1.9 trillion in a treasury bill auction this week as banks sought safe returns.
- In energy, PPL reported Rs99 billion in profit and new discoveries for the last financial year.
Frequently asked questions
How much will Sindh’s reforms save businesses?
What is the Sindh Business One-Stop Shop?
What is the Sindh Asaan Karobar Act?
- The Express Tribune, “Sindh eyes Rs67b savings from reforms” (29 October 2026): https://tribune.com.pk/story/2637521/sindh-eyes-rs67b-savings-from-reforms
