Punjab's Rs1,995.3 billion PIVOT plan targets $6.8 billion in extra exports
Punjab will offer Rs300 billion in concessional financing at rates of zero to five percent as the centrepiece of a Rs1,995.3 billion economic plan launched by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, who aims to add $6.8 billion in exports and 162,000 direct jobs over three years.
The Punjab Innovation, Value Addition and Economic Transformation (PIVOT) Plan 2026–29 combines Rs1,089 billion in public investment with a target of Rs906 billion from the private sector. The concessional loans sit under a Strategic Trade Enhancement Programme with a new digital portal, open to eligible sectors on the programme's terms. Maryam told an audience that included State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmad, bankers, diplomats and business figures such as Mian Mansha and Arif Habib that the government would facilitate while industry would lead.
Of the total, Rs753.7 billion goes to industrial output and export competitiveness, including Rs50 billion for solar and battery storage to cut operating costs and Rs50 billion to reimburse machinery duties. Target value chains run from garments, leather and surgical instruments to fans, cutlery, steel and ceramics. Agriculture gets four agro-processing parks in Sargodha, Khanewal, Okara and Bhakkar, and the plan promises training for 402,060 people over three years.
On the business side, PIVOT aims to digitise 300 public services through an E-Biz initiative, bring 2,000 businesses onto e-commerce platforms and lease state land across nine sectors. Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb will chair a PIVOT Board, with a secretariat in the Planning and Development Department and a dashboard and industry scorecard to track milestones. Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman said the plan would be operational within six months.
Arif Habib used the launch to announce plans for Pakistan's tallest commercial tower at CBD One in Lahore, a signal of private-sector interest the government is counting on. Whether the export and jobs targets hold will depend on delivery through the new monitoring framework, which the Chief Minister said would measure results rather than remain a document of commitments.
