Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has launched a Rs1,995.3 billion economic roadmap for 2026 to 2029. The Punjab Innovation, Value Addition and Economic Transformation Plan, or PIVOT, aims to make Punjab an export-led industrial hub. It targets 6.8 billion dollars in extra exports, 162,000 new direct jobs, and support for over one million livelihoods. The Chief Minister described it as a new model of growth, driven by industry, innovation, value addition and exports, in which businesses invest with confidence and people find better work.
The launch was designed to show that this is not a government-only project. Business figures including Mian Mansha, Arif Habib, Fawad Mukhtar, Ziad Bashir and Osman Khalid Waheed attended, alongside State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad and senior bank executives. Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman, cabinet ministers and district officers represented the government. The Chief Minister told investors that Punjab welcomes their investment and that government will facilitate while industry leads.
At the heart of the plan sits money, and how it is divided. The framework combines Rs1,089 billion in public investment with a target of Rs906 billion in private investment. A central pillar is the Strategic Trade Enhancement Programme, or STEP, which will run through a new digital portal. It will offer Rs300 billion in concessional financing at rates between zero and five per cent for eligible commercial categories, Around Rs753.7 billion is directed at strengthening industrial output, encouraging value addition and building export competitiveness, rather than simply increasing the volume of what Punjab already produces.
Energy and technology come close behind finance. The government has set aside Rs50 billion for solar power and battery energy storage systems, answering the energy costs and supply problems that have long weighed on manufacturers. A further Rs50 billion is allocated for machinery duty reimbursements, to help factories modernise and meet international quality standards. The manufacturing chains in focus include garments and textiles, sports goods, leather and footwear, surgical instruments, pharmaceuticals, fans, cutlery, steel and ceramics.
Agriculture and Agro-Processing: Moving Up the Value Chain
For agriculture, PIVOT tries to answer an old frustration: Punjab grows a great deal but captures too little of the value of what it grows. Four specialised agro-processing parks are planned in Sargodha, Khanewal, Okara and Bhakkar, designed to cut post-harvest losses, modernise food processing and bring farmers into higher-value supply chains. The plan also includes wheat value enhancement, better quality and market access for citrus, potato and mango crops, and export financing for horticulture and floriculture. For farming families, the test will be practical: whether produce that once rotted or sold cheap now earns more because it is graded and processed closer to home.
Tourism, Technology and Skills Development
Beyond factories and farms, the plan reaches into tourism, digital services and the workforce. Tourism infrastructure is to be upgraded to build destination economies, improve visitor facilities and draw private investment into hospitality. On skills, the programme aims to train 402,060 people over three years, focusing on industry-aligned, demand-driven skills for modern manufacturing, emerging commercial sectors and technology-oriented enterprises. The Chief Minister’s message was blunt: young people must be prepared for the jobs of tomorrow, and training must lead to employment and better livelihoods rather than certificates employers do not recognise.
Business Reforms and Digital Investor Facilitation
PIVOT also promises to make doing business simpler. Through the E-Biz digital initiative, the government aims to digitise 300 public administrative services, making business processes more accessible and transparent. The programme further envisages bringing 2,000 firms onto e-commerce platforms, alongside modernised labour laws, public-private partnership reforms and approved schemes for state land leases across nine productive sectors. The argument is straightforward: investors should spend their time building businesses, creating jobs and expanding production, not navigating unnecessary administrative hurdles.
Tracked, Traceable and Accountable Implementation
Perhaps the most important part of the plan is the part hardest to see at a launch ceremony: how it will be run. A PIVOT Board chaired by Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on behalf of the Chief Minister will provide central governance. A dedicated PIVOT Secretariat in the Planning and Development Department, and a PIVOT cell within the Chief Secretary’s Office, will handle coordination. Deputy Commissioners will act as district-level focal persons. Progress will be monitored through a central PIVOT Dashboard and an Industry Scorecard, with defined milestones, measurable indicators and regular reviews to spot bottlenecks. The Chief Minister was explicit that PIVOT must not remain a document of targets: its implementation will be tracked and its results assessed.
The launch also carried a show of private-sector confidence, with developer Arif Habib announcing plans to build Pakistan’s tallest commercial tower at Lahore CBD One. In closing, the Chief Minister set out an ambition for a Punjab where businesses can grow, industries can compete globally, farmers can earn more from their produce and young people can find meaningful opportunities.
