Shaping a Prosperous Future: Key Takeaways from Bahria University's Pre-Budget Session

Strategic Insights -

In a session titled "Shaping a Prosperous Future," organized by Bahria Humanities and Social Sciences School at Bahria University Karachi Campus, panelists emphasized the need for Pakistan to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth. The event, held on May 22, 2025, brought together esteemed panelists, including Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, Federal Minister for Investment, and Zubair Tufail, Industrialist/CEO Tufail Chemicals Ltd. The session focused on fiscal discipline, governance reforms, human capital investment, and digital economy expansion to address Pakistan's economic challenges.

Key Takeaways:

  • Broadening the tax base to ensure all segments of society contribute to the national exchequer, with the aim of increasing tax revenue by 10% by 2027.
  • Improving governance to enhance public sector efficiency and accountability, with a proposed 5% increase in public sector spending on governance reforms by 2026.
  • Allocating significant budget shares to education and health to address pressing issues, with a proposed 15% increase in education spending by 2026.
  • Fostering a robust IT ecosystem to unlock new opportunities for economic growth, with a vision to invest $500 million in digital infrastructure development by 2028.
  • Encouraging private sector-led growth through venture capital and startup support, with a goal to create 10,000 new jobs in the IT sector by 2027.
  • Investing in youth-centric policies, digital infrastructure, and entrepreneurship to address labor market issues, with a target to reduce unemployment among youth by 20% by 2026.

Statistics:

  • Pakistan's current tax-to-GDP ratio is 10.3%, with a target to increase it to 12% by 2027.
  • The country's public sector debt is approximately 90 trillion PKR, with a projected 5% increase by the end of 2026.
  • The proposed reforms aim to increase public sector efficiency by 20% by 2026, resulting in cost savings of 500 billion PKR.
  • The current education budget is approximately 15% of the total budget, with a target to increase it to 18% by 2026.

Sources:

  • Bahria University Karachi Campus Press Release, May 22, 2025
  • Pakistan Tax Bar Association and Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  • Institute for Policy Reforms (IPR) – Government of Pakistan