Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assured the Pakistani diaspora that his government is working to make the country a more welcoming place to invest and do business, urging overseas Pakistanis to put their capital into the country. The assurance came during a series of meetings in New York with delegations of Pakistani-origin entrepreneurs and professionals based in the US, held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The groups worked across information technology, artificial intelligence, the auto industry, energy, and construction, among other sectors, according to a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Sharif told participants that, through their work abroad, they served as ambassadors of Pakistan and helped build its image globally, framing the diaspora’s professional achievements as a form of soft diplomacy that strengthens Pakistan’s international standing independent of direct capital investment. He said reforms at the Federal Board of Revenue had eased many of the difficulties traders and businesses had previously faced, positioning tax administration reform as a foundational piece of the broader pitch he made to the assembled entrepreneurs.
The prime minister also said the government was giving priority to steps that would bring innovation to agriculture and speed up growth in the sector, extending his investment appeal beyond the technology and industrial sectors represented in the room toward Pakistan’s agricultural economy specifically. Separately, in a meeting with Pakistani-American youth, including professionals in health, IT, and AI, along with representatives of youth organizations, Sharif asked delegates to suggest ways to improve various sectors and contribute their expertise to Pakistan, describing talented overseas Pakistani youth as a source of pride for him and the nation and stating his belief that only the youth can change Pakistan’s destiny.
The delegates lauded the prime minister’s leadership and welcomed the government’s work in agriculture, industry, and exports, with the FBR reforms drawing the strongest praise among the measures discussed. The meetings continue a broader pattern of the Pakistani government courting diaspora capital and expertise during high-profile international visits this year, following recent initiatives including the US Embassy’s Innovation Hive launch in Islamabad and Ignite’s Pak-US Tech Connect 2026 mission, both aimed at strengthening the same US-Pakistan entrepreneurial and investment pipeline the prime minister’s New York meetings sought to reinforce.
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