Govt to shield businesses from agency overreach: Haroon
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan, has announced that the federal government is working on a mechanism to protect legitimate businesses from arbitrary and excessive interference by investigative agencies.
Speaking at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), he said a ‘firewall’ will be established to ensure that any probe initiated by authorities such as NAB, FIA, or the FBR into corporate entities must first be vetted by institutions such as the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), or KCCI itself.
Haroon Akhtar clarified that this firewall was not meant to shield wrongdoing but to create a fairer environment for law-abiding entrepreneurs.
“We want to prevent arbitrary action against legitimate businesses.
This firewall is not meant to protect wrongdoers but to ensure that honest entrepreneurs are not subjected to harassment,” he said, addressing a packed audience of business leaders in Karachi.
Among those present were Chairman of the Businessmen Group Zubair Motiwala, KCCI President Jawed Bilwani, Vice Chairmen Anjum Nisar and Mian Abrar Ahmed, and other leading members of the business community.
He emphasized the urgency of adopting a robust industrial policy to reverse decades of deindustrialization and restore economic momentum.
Haroon Akhtar said that Pakistan must now focus on building foreign exchange reserves by encouraging export-led growth and reducing dependence on imports.
Domestic investors, he said, should be prioritized in national economic planning.
