PM forms committee to identify projects for UAE investment

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has geared up endeavours to allure investment on GtG basis from the UAE in various sectors of economy in a big way following interactions of the top UAE authorities with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the recent past.

The prime minister has constituted a 13-member committee, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, with a mandate to identify the early harvest projects to be pitched before the UAE authorities for investment portfolio, a senior official told The News.

The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) notified the committee on July 16, 2025, which also comprises federal ministers for Finance, Petroleum Division, EAD and their secretaries. Adviser to PM on Privatisation is also a member of the committee. As per the notification, national coordinator of the SIFC is also a member of the committee.

The committee met on Friday, July 18, 2025 to identify the projects ready for investment and have bankable feasibility. The committee would submit its report to the PM in seven days. In the meeting, officials of Fauji Fertilisers also participated. The committee would identify early harvest projects in all sectors for investment from the UAE.

The Abu Dhabi Ports Group (AD Ports) has already inked multiple long-term agreements with Karachi Port Trust and to this effect in May 2023, AD Ports committed over $2 billion toward port infrastructure, cargo rail, inland ports, and the development of a special economic zone. In February 2024, a 25-year concession was signed to develop and operate general and bulk cargo terminals at Karachi Port, managed by UAE-led joint ventures like Karachi Gateway Terminal (KGTML) and KGTL.

During Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan’s visit in February 2025, Pakistan and the UAE signed several MoUs in areas including banking, mining, railways, infrastructure, AI, and tourism. Pakistan formally pitched five key mineral projects (notably copper and gold blocks in Chagai and Waziristan, and a smelter in Gwadar) to the UAE investors in August 2024. These projects align with broader GCC mining interest following the Reko Diq copper gold mine partnership discussions.

The UAE is partnering with Empire Holding Pakistan to invest roughly $300 million over five years in real estate projects across Lahore, Islamabad, and beyond. In banking, UAE’s Abu Dhabi United Group controls Bank Alfalah, one of Pakistan’s largest private banks, with an expansive branch network (890 branches nationwide).