ISTANBUL — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday extended a formal invitation to leading Turkish industrial groups to scale up their investments across multiple strategic sectors in Pakistan, highlighting the country’s improving macroeconomic trajectory and robust institutional guarantees.
The premier held a series of high-level bilateral meetings in Istanbul with senior executives from Turkiye’s premier corporate conglomerates, including Çalık Holding, the Albayrak Group, and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkiye (TOBB). The official visit follows the Prime Minister’s recent attendance at the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
One-Window Facilitation via SIFC
Reaffirming Islamabad’s commitment to an investor-friendly ecosystem, PM Shehbaz emphasized the pivotal role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). He assured Turkish business leaders that the council offers comprehensive, one-window institutional support designed to streamline foreign direct investment and provide a transparent, predictable regulatory framework.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif meeting with a delegation of Çalık Holding led by the Group’s Chairman Mr. Ahmet Çalık in Istanbul on 4 July 2026. pic.twitter.com/zFwBVPxytU
— Prime Minister’s Office (@PakPMO) July 4, 2026
The primary avenues targeted for expanded economic cooperation encompass key growth pillars:
Infrastructure & Maritime: Modernizing regional ports and logistics networks in active partnership with the Albayrak Group.
Energy & Technology: Advancing large-scale ventures in green power, digital systems, minerals, and IT infrastructure with Çalık Holding.
Privatization & Trade: Driving systemic participation in ongoing state-backed asset privatizations and telecommunications development.
Cementing Long-Term Commercial Ties
To ensure sustained momentum, the Prime Minister proposed a structured institutional mechanism for regular engagement between the private sectors of both nations. He formally invited a high-level TOBB delegation to visit Pakistan to conduct firsthand market evaluations of emerging Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
Turkish corporate leaders expressed strong confidence in Pakistan’s stabilizing economic outlook and reaffirmed their commitment to forging durable, long-term partnerships. The recent discussions build on three bilateral Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed last week in Istanbul, which focused on deep technical collaboration and knowledge sharing within the power sector.
