Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) is a new symbol of hope and faith, an embodiment of development and growth, an emblem of peace and harmony, and a herald of stability and security for Pakistan.

Pakistan is a country of unmatched capabilities. Ocassionally, those in authority and experts acknowledged its vast resources, glorious past, potential capital and abundant natural treasures. However, there has been a scarcity of well-defined plans to effectively utilize and harness its wealth. The untapped resources remained untouched for decades, the unruly human resources remained untamed, and the potential wealth couldn't gain dynamism.
This awakening resulted in the creation of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military joint setup established to remove the bureaucratic hurdles, explore the resources available in the country, and restore investors' confidence, both local and foreign. A few problems which came to the limelight as a result of this reflection included the inefficiencies and redundancies of our system, lack of training of our workforce, lack of research, development, and resultant modernization in various economic sectors, lack of coherence amongst federal and provincial governmental bodies, and rigidity in the rules and regulations, which resulted in the creation of an unfriendly environment for the investors. The local investors used to adopt measures and means to hoodwink the system, while the foreign investors would avoid putting themselves in a procedural rigmarole.
SIFC, a collaborative assortment of civil and military organizations, is a one-window destination for foreign and local investors. A special characteristic of this Council is what we call the whole-of-government approach, in which the politicians, civil bureaucracy, and military leadership are working shoulder to shoulder with each other with only one aim–the progression and development of Pakistan. Comprising the Prime Minister, the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), and Federal Ministers in the Apex Committee, the Council has two more tiers–the Executive Committee and the Implementation Committee. The main role of the Executive Committee is to obtain the decisions on proposed aspects from the Apex Committee and pass them on to the Implementation Committee for putting them into action.
Bringing all the government departments on one platform by making SIFC a 'One Window Destination' is a revolutionary step towards creating a business-friendly environment in the country. Earlier, the investors had to get approval from many organizations to reach an agreement and start a business, which the creation of SIFC has eliminated. Now, any foreign investor coming to Pakistan just has to visit the website of SIFC and drop an email to the [email protected], which will reach the relevant desk, and the responsible official will contact the investor to proceed further. The process will reduce the hassle for the investor and help accelerate the process by reducing the time required to obtain various approvals. 
In the agriculture sector, importance is being given to the crops and livestock. More than 150,000 acres of desert land are being brought under cultivation. The investors will have a 60 percent stake as an incentive. We expect a manifold increase in the yield of crops, milk, and meat every year. The important outcome of this measure is expected in the form of curtailment in the import bill and the creation of jobs. In the case of meat and milk, if we can improve our processes by matching them with international standards and enhancing the quality by choosing the right food for the animals, we will be able to make our products available for export. We will also be able to improve the quality of life of our people by providing them with nutritious food. In mid-November, an extensive campaign was launched for the cultivation of land in Khushab, Sargodha, and Bhakkar areas of Punjab by sowing wheat for the first time. Similarly, the land cultivation, carried out on the model of corporate farming, resulted in exceptionally good yields at harvest.

SIFC, a collaborative assortment of civil and military organizations, is a one-window destination for foreign and local investors. A special characteristic of this Council is what we call the whole-of-government approach, in which the politicians, civil bureaucracy, and military leadership are working shoulder to shoulder with each other with only one aim–the progression and development of Pakistan. 

Pakistan is gaining pace in the information technology (IT) sector in the global race for top service providers. The creation of employment and increase in exports is on top of the agenda. An important measure in this regard is the creation of IT incubation centres in major cities of the country, where the youth can develop their skills and become useful members of society by starting to generate their income and contributing innovative ideas. Through the plans to promote the indigenous manufacture of smartphones, several jobs will be created, and we will be able to explore markets in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Africa, and Central Asia. In late November, the Minister of Information Technology and Telecom launched the first-ever IT and Information Technology enabled Services (ITeS) exports strategy, promising an inflow of USD 10 billion every year for the next four to five years, which is expected to increase to approximately USD 20 billion thereafter.
Similarly, several projects have been initiated in the Mining and Minerals and Energy Sectors. The processes of exploration of gold, copper, lead, and zinc, and mining other metallic minerals, have kicked off. An important aspect that made the resources unusable for the country was the lack of connectivity with the main market. We will establish a link between the resources and the market by developing rail and road networks in the area. Similarly, using local raw materials and renewable energy resources will be preferred. Meetings with Barrick Gold are underway to arrive at a mutually agreed arrangement based on the ascertained share price.
In the last week of November, Pakistan signed MoUs with the UAE in the fields of energy, port operations project, food security, banking and financial services, wastewater treatment, minerals, and logistics. These MoUs signal the further strengthening of bilateral ties and will substantially boost Pakistan's economy. A very positive indicator is that the projects already in the pipeline are being expedited, with SIFC catalyzing the processes and helping to overcome bureaucratic hurdles. The skyrocketing of the Pakistan Stock Exchange Index to its highest numbers ever speaks to investors' trust in the conducive business environment in Pakistan. 
Today, SIFC is nearing almost half a year after its establishment when it has had several multi-level meetings of the five identified sectors. When its name has become known to the masses as an established entity, there appear a series of mixed feelings–feelings of hope, anticipation for  a bright future, a sense that the time has come for Pakistan to overcome challenges, fostering an atmosphere of growth and progress. It is pertinent that we unveil various facts and figures related to the organization.

SIFC has started triggering investments in various sectors. A few feathers in its cap include the conclusion of an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth USD 1.5 billion for the upgradation of Pakistan Refinery Limited with a Chinese company, preparation of more than 60,000 acres of desert land in Cholistan for agriculture and livestock, strengthening of seed framework and resultant yield through corporate farming, mining of gold, copper, iron ore, and rare earth metals in Balochistan, salt mining in Punjab, provision of incentives to IT sector, such as like allowing 50 percent repatriation of forex, development of PayPal debit cards, earmarking of workplaces for freelancers, determination of solar tariff on advantageous terms for users, equalization of gas prices, and reinvigoration of the strategic Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project, etc.

The past six months were consumed with ascertaining our country's potential and the hurdles that prevent us from tapping that potential. More importantly, this period was utilized to develop harmony between civilians and their military counterparts in different sectors. Today, when SIFC has had half a dozen meetings each of the Executive and Apex Committees when the targets of the next decade have been divided into various short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals, and the long-standing impasse in investment-related projects have been realized, the time is ripe to carry out an introspection of the overall performance of the Council. 
Founded with a negligible budget, SIFC has started triggering investments in various sectors. A few feathers in its cap include the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth USD 1.5 billion for the upgradation of Pakistan Refinery Limited with a Chinese company, preparation of more than 60,000 acres of desert land in Cholistan for agriculture and livestock, strengthening of seed framework and resultant yield through corporate farming, mining of gold, copper, iron ore, and rare earth metals in Balochistan, salt mining in Punjab, provision of incentives to IT sector, such as allowing 50 percent repatriation of forex, development of PayPal debit cards, earmarking of workplaces for freelancers, determination of solar tariff on advantageous terms for users, equalization of gas prices, and reinvigoration of the strategic Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project, etc. 

Earlier, the investors had to get approval from many organizations to reach an agreement and start a business, which the creation of SIFC has eliminated. Now, any foreign investor coming to Pakistan just has to visit the website of SIFC and drop an email to the [email protected], which will reach the relevant desk, and the responsible official will contact the investor to proceed further.

There is a misperception that the interests of domestic investors are being neglected. SIFC realizes that it is important to keep the interests of domestic investors prime, as they will be the ultimate harbingers of establishing a favorable business environment in the country and will become a symbol of hope for foreign investors. They are engaged not only on collective forums but individually, which shows the system's strength. SIFC is currently engaged in resolving investment-related issues for approximately one hundred domestic companies across various sectors, including textile, mining, agriculture, and IT.
Though it will be quite before time to comment on the efficacy of SIFC at its nascent stage, by observing the substantial achievements of the Council in such a short period, we can safely attach expectations to it if it is allowed to continue at the pace without unnecessary hindrances, the policies and rules are allowed to mature, and it has support from masses in the form of cooperation, trust, and acceptance. SIFC is a new symbol of hope and faith, an embodiment of development and growth, an emblem of peace and harmony, and a herald of stability and security for Pakistan.

The author is a PhD scholar in Management Sciences with extensive experience in Project Management.