Page 12 - CMA Journal (Mar-Apr 2026)

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Mr. Jamil Ahmad Qureshi

Secretary, Special Investment

Facilitation Council (SIFC) and

Secretary, Board of Investment (BOI)

“ The SIFC Apex Committee, co-chaired

by the Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff, represents the broadest and most
durable statement of state level commitment to the investment agenda in
Pakistan's history. Pakistan is ready. SIFC is committed to converting red tape

into a red carpet for our domestic and foreign investors. “

ICMA: In today's rapidly shifting geopolitical environment, attracting long term foreign investment?
how is SIFC converting global uncertainty into concrete
Jamil Ahmad Qureshi: Pakistan's strategic location,
investment opportunities for Pakistan?
bridging Central Asia, the Middle East, and South Asia, is no
Jamil Ahmad Qureshi: Let me be direct: where others see
geopolitical turbulence, Pakistan sees a strategic opening. longer merely a geographic fact; it is becoming an economic
The SIFC was established precisely to harness such architecture. Pakistan's connectivity spine is being
moments. Pakistan is today engaging the United States on a transformed into a commercially bankable asset. Our
landmark critical minerals' partnership, while minerals endowment is the de ning repositioning story.
simultaneously, Gulf investment ows under SIFC's
Pakistan, with its copper and gold reserves, is attracting
facilitation have generated over $2.3 billion in managed
nancing discussions with international investors. At the
investment in ows since SIFC's inception in June 2023, with
Saudi Arabia anchoring its interest through the April 2025 Pakistan Mineral Investment Forum, both Chinese
and American delegations competed for a foothold. This is
transformative Reko Diq copper gold project. The numbers
validate the strategy, as FDI rose by 41% in the rst eight what strategic leverage looks like in practice.
months of FY2024-25, reaching $1.618 billion, while FDI
Beyond minerals, Pakistan's IT export growth is
jumped by 172% in April 2024 alone, the highest in 51
months, with China, UAE, UK, and the United States all unprecedented. It illustrates a second repositioning vector
simultaneously active investors. involving digital supply chains, while the country is also
developing its semiconductor and chip design cluster
ICMA: With global economic fragmentation and
capacity, an initiative actively driven through SIFC. For the
supply chain realignments accelerating, how should
Pakistan reposition itself to remain competitive in long-term investor evaluating supply chain resilience,

ICMA’s Chartered Management Accountant, Mar-Apr 2026 10