Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stripped Investment Minister Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh of his position leading the Cabinet Committee on Regulatory Reforms, naming the federal commerce minister to head the panel instead. A Cabinet Division directive confirmed that Sheikh was additionally stripped of his seat on the committee entirely. Back in September, Sheikh stated that the prime minister was overly occupied to hear his grievances and refused to schedule a meeting with him despite multiple attempts.
Haroon Akhtar Khan, who advises the prime minister on industries and production, takes on the role of co-chairman. New additions to the panel include the federal minister for information technology alongside the minister of state for finance and railways. Secretariat duties for the committee will be handled by the Special Investment Facilitation Council Division.
Authorities have established the panel's terms of reference to streamline rules and boost the corporate climate via the Ease of Doing Business program. The group will evaluate and endorse regulatory changes mandated by the Ease of Doing Business Act, as well as assess Board of Investment suggestions to scrap or modify statutes, rules, and permit mandates. Proposals will go to the federal cabinet for formal approval, alongside policy determinations regarding the reform schedule, tracking progress, and enforcing prompt execution of greenlit actions. Duties further encompass setting up and running a legal registry promptly within the reform framework.
