The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi on Monday organized a seminar on Pakistan’s Federal Budget 2026-27, bringing together economists, policymakers and public finance specialists to examine the budget’s impact on the country’s economy, taxation, fiscal reforms, trade and investment.
The discussion featured a panel comprising Khurram Schehzad, adviser to the finance minister; Dr. Ali Salman, Chief Executive Officer of the Policy Research Institute of Market Economy (PRIME); Dr. Ali Hasanain, Associate Professor of Economics at LUMS; Dr. Zehra Farooq, Staff Officer to Member IR Operations at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR); and Dr. Aadil Nakhoda, Assistant Professor at the School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS). The session was moderated by Ammar Habib, Assistant Professor of Practice at the School of Business Studies (SBS).
During the discussion, Schehzad outlined the government’s approach to strengthening fiscal stability, encouraging investment, advancing industrial policy and implementing reforms to support sustainable economic growth. Salman said tariff reforms were intended to boost export-led industrial expansion, while Hasanain underscored the importance of coherent trade and industrial policies, stronger institutions and measures to eliminate Pakistan’s anti-export bias.
Farooq highlighted efforts to improve revenue collection through tax reforms, stricter enforcement and the Federal Board of Revenue’s ongoing digital transformation initiatives. Nakhoda discussed simplified tariff structures, enhanced export competitiveness and deeper integration into global value chains as key elements of long-term economic development.
The event opened with introductory remarks by Dr. Lubna Naz, Director of the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at IBA, who stressed the need for sustained engagement between academia and policymakers to strengthen public policy. In his welcome address, Dr. S. Akbar Zaidi, Executive Director of IBA Karachi, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to encouraging informed debate on national economic issues while promoting greater student participation in public policy discussions.
The seminar concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session, reflecting IBA Karachi’s commitment to fostering evidence-based policy dialogue and informed decision-making on issues of national significance.