Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlights investment opportunities in agriculture, minerals, IT, energy, ports and privatisation during a meeting with US business leaders in New York.

NEW YORK: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invited American businesses to explore Pakistan’s investment potential, highlighting opportunities across agriculture, mining and minerals, information technology, energy, ports and shipping and the government’s privatisation programme.

The prime minister made the remarks while meeting a joint delegation of the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) and the US-Pakistan Business Council (USPBC) on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Pakistan’s government has continued to highlight US investment as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral economic and commercial ties. In a separate meeting earlier in September, the Board of Investment said it was pursuing regulatory reforms and business-to-business linkages with US companies.

PM highlights investment-friendly reforms

Prime Minister Shehbaz said Pakistan was pursuing an investor-friendly policy framework and structural reforms aimed at improving efficiency, transparency and the business environment.

He highlighted the digitisation of the economy, reforms within the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the expansion of e-governance as key components of the government’s reform agenda.

The prime minister said Pakistan’s economy had achieved greater stability and was moving towards growth, while acknowledging that the continuing Gulf crisis had created additional economic challenges.

He also stressed that regional peace and stability were important for sustainable trade, investment and economic development.

Agriculture offers opportunities for US investors

Discussing agriculture, Prime Minister Shehbaz said Pakistan had significant potential to improve productivity through modern technology, mechanisation and advanced agricultural equipment.

He highlighted the use of harvesters and other machinery to increase per-acre yields, improve operational efficiency and reduce production costs.

The government has also been highlighting agricultural modernisation as an area for international investment, including farming technology, machinery, food processing, storage and related infrastructure.

Mining and minerals identified as key sectors

The prime minister also pointed to mining and minerals as strategically important areas for investment, citing Pakistan’s natural resource base.

US companies have previously shown interest in Pakistan’s critical minerals sector. In September 2025, a US delegation including United States Strategic Metals explored opportunities for mining, mineral processing and related infrastructure, with an initial investment phase in critical minerals estimated at around $500 million.

More recently, Pakistan’s finance minister discussed potential US Export-Import Bank financing for the Reko Diq mining project during a meeting in New York on September 24, 2026.

IT and young workforce highlighted

Prime Minister Shehbaz described Pakistan’s youthful population as an important economic asset, particularly for information technology and artificial intelligence.

He said the government was focusing on vocational education, technical training and skills development to equip young people with market-oriented capabilities and expand opportunities for productive employment.

The government has also identified technology and digital services among the sectors where stronger international investment and partnerships could contribute to economic development.

Energy, ports and shipping

Energy security, including oil, petroleum and gas, was another area highlighted by the prime minister.

He also invited US businesses to explore opportunities in ports, shipping and related infrastructure, sectors that Pakistan considers important for strengthening trade connectivity and economic activity.

US firms invited to participate in privatisation

Prime Minister Shehbaz also invited American companies to participate in Pakistan’s privatisation programme.

He said Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had been privatised and expressed confidence that its new Pakistani owners would improve the airline’s operational performance.

He added that a bank had also been privatised, while the government was accelerating efforts to privatise power distribution companies in different provinces.

The prime minister said the government was opening additional sectors to private investment and maintained that the state should primarily act as a facilitator rather than participate directly in commercial ventures.

Privatisation and broader structural reforms have also been cited by the government as part of its economic reform agenda. In his September 24 meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Shehbaz highlighted progress on privatisation, domestic revenue mobilisation and other structural measures.

Business councils urged to strengthen commercial ties

The prime minister described the BCIU and USPBC as important bridges between Pakistan and the United States and called for stronger trade, investment and commercial partnerships.

He urged the business community to translate improving bilateral relations into practical investment and commercial opportunities.

USPBC President Esperanza Jelalian thanked the prime minister for his engagement with US enterprises and briefed him on plans by the US Chamber of Commerce to promote Pakistan’s investment opportunities.

BCIU President Peter Tichansky highlighted member companies’ interest in expanding their existing investments and exploring new partnerships in Pakistan. BCIU identifies Tichansky as its president and chief executive officer.

Representatives of both business councils assured the prime minister that they would maintain engagement with Pakistan’s government and private sector to deepen commercial cooperation.

Major US companies attend meeting

Senior representatives of major US companies operating in Pakistan attended the meeting, including Boeing, Abbott, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Resecurity, Mastercard, Nvidia, ETS Capital, TRG International, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Northshore Medical Lab, Reckitt, Visa and Excelerate Energy.

The business representatives briefed the prime minister on their existing interests in Pakistan and outlined plans to expand their presence in the country.

They also highlighted Pakistan’s sizeable domestic market and youthful workforce as factors underpinning their interest in the country.

Pakistan has previously used UN General Assembly meetings to engage directly with US business leaders. During the 2024 UNGA, Shehbaz Sharif met the USPBC and identified agriculture, IT, energy and mining among the sectors offering opportunities for US investment.

Pakistan seeks stronger US investment partnerships

Prime Minister Shehbaz assured the delegation that Pakistan was prepared to welcome US investors and work with them to identify mutually beneficial opportunities.

The prime minister was assisted by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Finance Minister and Revenue Minister, Defence Minister, SAPM Tariq Fatemi, Chairman PVARA Bilal bin Saqib, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar and Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States Rizwan Ahmed Sheikh.

The meeting formed part of Pakistan’s wider engagement with international businesses during the 81st UN General Assembly, as the government seeks to attract investment and advance its economic reform agenda.