At a stakeholder consultation in Islamabad on February 27, 2026, experts urged swift regulatory simplification and the introduction of a unified Digital Compliance gateway to reduce costs and delays for businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises. The session, organised by Freedom Gate Prosperity in partnership with the Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industries, focused on practical reforms to make doing business easier across Pakistan.
Policy experts, legal practitioners, industry representatives and development professionals joined the discussion under the broader UnlockPakBusiness initiative to map reform priorities and build momentum for a single digital compliance framework. Participants emphasised that a coherent digital solution would replace overlapping procedures and multiple registration touchpoints that now burden entrepreneurs.
Muhammad Anwar, CEO of Freedom Gate Prosperity, welcomed attendees and called for a market-friendly policy environment. He noted that fragmented rules and complex procedures discourage investment and entrepreneurship, and stressed that evidence-based reforms are needed to lower compliance costs and accelerate business growth.
Awais Satti, President of ICSTSI, highlighted the importance of sustained public-private dialogue to identify bottlenecks faced by traders and small manufacturers. He argued that regulatory simplification combined with digital integration can significantly improve ease of doing business and help bring more firms into the formal economy.
Dr. Ali Salman, CEO of Prime Institute Pakistan, explained the wider economic benefits of easing compliance. He said reducing unnecessary compliance costs would raise productivity, encourage formalisation and strengthen Pakistan’s competitiveness in regional markets.
Regulatory reform expert Mohsin Malik described the current environment as complex and fragmented, with overlapping requirements enforced by multiple authorities. He urged coherent policy changes and a streamlined digital framework so that businesses face less duplication and uncertainty when complying with regulations.
Sher Mohammad, Chairman of the Sustainable Development Committee at ICSTSI, presented a technical briefing that estimated the compliance burden on enterprises and outlined the concept of a unified Digital Gateway to consolidate registration and reporting. The proposed gateway aims to centralise interactions between businesses and regulators, making the compliance process faster and more transparent.
Industry representatives underscored ground-level challenges. Asad Taimur, Legal Advisor at ICSTSI, pointed to redundant registration processes across agencies, while Dr. Zia Ullah Ranjha highlighted legal overlaps that cause procedural delays and higher operating costs. Sardar Zaheer Ahmad described the practical consequences for economic growth, and Amjad Khan Achakzai, Additional Advocate General of Balochistan, urged that reforms also prioritise enabling trade in underdeveloped regions to tackle youth unemployment.
The consultation concluded with an open forum moderated by Shafqat Aziz, where stakeholders validated reform priorities and discussed advocacy and awareness strategies. Participants committed to developing a practical policy roadmap to advance regulatory simplification and implement a workable Digital Compliance solution that can unlock business potential across Pakistan.
