Maryam Nawaz Investors Face No Questions
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has said that not asking investors where their money comes from is part of Mian Nawaz Sharif’s legacy, and that she will not question anyone bringing business to the province about the source of their funds. The Maryam Nawaz investors message came as she spoke at the launch of the Punjab government’s PIVOT programme in Lahore on Friday.
“If you are bringing business, I would not ask where you are getting the money from,” she said. She added: “If it were up to me, I would not want to ask anyone who comes to do business where they are bringing the money from.”
The chief minister also said she was bound by rules, regulations and laws overseen by the federal government. That qualification matters, because federal law, including anti-money-laundering and tax rules, continues to apply regardless of the province’s pitch to investors.
No new taxes in Punjab
Maryam Nawaz said Punjab had not imposed any new tax in the past two and a half years. She called this a difficult achievement and said the provincial government had instead worked to expand the tax base and the tax net.
She also criticised the approach of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), which she said mostly puts more burden on people who are already paying taxes. “If someone is paying Rs1,500 today, make it Rs2,000. If someone is paying Rs2,000, make it Rs10,000, and if someone is paying Rs10,000, make it Rs20,000,” she said, describing the practice. She added that a large part of the economy outside the tax net was being ignored.
The FBR has been under pressure to widen the tax net under its reform plans. Her remarks therefore land in an open debate about whether Pakistan should raise more revenue by taxing existing payers harder or by bringing untaxed activity into the net. The federal government has meanwhile said there will be no immediate cut in the petroleum levy, which shows how tight the revenue debate remains.
What the Maryam Nawaz investors message means for business
The chief minister said her government wanted to encourage investment and reduce red tape. She said loans worth around Rs200 billion had been issued under the province’s business loan scheme. She also said Punjab had trained around 400,000 skilled workers and planned to train another 600,000.
Those numbers frame the PIVOT launch as part of a wider jobs and investment push. Punjab has been rolling out spending and employment measures in recent weeks, from Rs5 billion added for stroke treatment to 28 shrimp farming jobs offering pay of up to Rs200,000. The message to business is consistent: the province wants private money and private hiring, with fewer hurdles at the provincial level.
At the same time, household budgets in Punjab remain under strain. Food prices in Faisalabad have soared past official rates, which is a reminder that investment promises will be judged against the cost of living. The chief minister’s pitch to investors will therefore sit alongside questions about jobs, wages and prices for ordinary families.
What happens next
The practical test of the PIVOT launch will be whether investors respond with new projects and whether the promised skills training turns into employment. The province’s business loan scheme, at around Rs200 billion issued so far, gives an early measure of demand from small and medium enterprises. The plan to train 600,000 more workers will show whether the labour supply keeps pace with that demand.
The original report on the chief minister’s remarks was published by ProPakistani.
What is the PIVOT programme?
PIVOT is a Punjab government programme launched in Lahore on Friday. The chief minister used its launch event to set out her government’s pro-investment stance and its record on taxes, loans and skills training.
What did Maryam Nawaz say about investors’ money?
She said she would not ask anyone bringing business to Punjab where they are getting the money from, and described that approach as part of Mian Nawaz Sharif’s legacy. She added that she remains bound by federal rules, regulations and laws.
What did she say about taxes?
She said Punjab had imposed no new tax in the past two and a half years and had instead expanded the tax base and the tax net. She criticised the FBR for placing more burden on existing taxpayers while a large part of the economy stays outside the net.
