SIFC tells Senate panel it has 38 projects worth $40 billion in the pipeline

Pakistan’s investment facilitation body has told a Senate panel it has lined up about 38 projects worth around $40 billion, spanning mining, energy, railways, roads, ports, power, technology, medicines, health, tourism and food security.

The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) shared the figures during a briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat in Islamabad on Thursday, 29 October. The committee was chaired by Senator Rana Mehmoodul Hassan. Officials briefed the senators on the council’s work over the past three years.

The briefing also covered the Brownfield Refinery Policy, which officials said had been approved. Five refineries have signed implementation agreements under the policy, involving proposed investments of about $6 billion. The council said it was in talks with Chinese companies and investors from Qatar and Kuwait, and was working to make investing easier through simpler procedures, better visa facilitation and single-window operations.

Senators at the meeting raised concerns about the cost of doing business in Pakistan. They pointed to high electricity tariffs and financing costs, the difficulty of sending profits abroad, and competition from smuggled goods, and called for coordinated help from the federal government and the State Bank of Pakistan. The committee chairman noted that getting no-objection certificates had been a major hurdle for investors, but said the process had improved since the council stepped in.

Why it matters

The $40 billion figure is the expected value of a pipeline of projects, not money that has already arrived. Officials themselves told the committee that regional tensions, including the US-Iran conflict, had disrupted trade and business, making it hard to give reliable final figures. Even so, the briefing is the clearest public update yet on the scale of what the council is chasing, and the refinery deals show at least part of the pipeline moving from plans to signed agreements.

What happens next

The council will keep working to turn the listed projects into signed deals, while the committee has pressed for simpler rules and lower barriers for investors. Watch for announcements on individual projects, particularly in mining, energy and refineries, and for any sign that the promised investment is turning into real money on the ground.

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.

Sources

• https://www.thenews.pk/print/1445882-38-projects-worth-40bn-developed-across-various-sectors-sifc-tells-senate-panel (The News, 30 October 2026)
• https://www.energyupdate.com.pk/sifc-identifies-38-projects-expected-to-attract-40-billion-investment/ (Energy Update, 30 October 2026)
• https://en.tezkhabar.tv/senate-panel-reviews-investment-facilitation-power-sector-oversight-pending-govt-business/ (APP, 29 October 2026)