The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has been tasked with speeding up regulatory reforms aimed at removing barriers and making it easier for businesses to operate and invest in Pakistan.

The reforms seek to reduce unnecessary government procedures, simplify licensing requirements, eliminate excessive paperwork, and remove outdated regulations that add to the cost of doing business.

The regulatory guillotine initiative was originally introduced by the Board of Investment (BoI). However, progress was slowed by institutional and coordination challenges, delaying the implementation of several proposed reforms.

To overcome these hurdles, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assigned SIFC the responsibility of driving the regulatory reform process through its whole-of-government coordination mechanism.

SIFC has subsequently stepped up efforts to coordinate the relevant government departments and accelerate the implementation of reforms across institutions.

The initiative is expected to make business procedures simpler and faster while reducing unnecessary compliance costs and administrative burdens for companies.

The government believes that a more efficient regulatory framework will improve Pakistan’s investment climate and encourage both domestic businesses and international investors to expand their operations in the country.

With SIFC now playing a central role, the government aims to translate regulatory reform plans into concrete changes that can improve the ease of doing business and unlock new investment opportunities.