President of the Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF) and All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Chairman of the National Business Group Pakistan, Chairman of the FPCCI Policy Advisory Board, and former Provincial IT Minister, Mian Zahid Hussain, commenting on the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ September 2026 export report, welcomed the 11.13 percent increase in July–September exports to $8.445 billion. However, he cautioned that the improvement remained concentrated in a few sectors, while several important industries continued to record declining exports. The uneven recovery required the government’s sector-specific intervention so that aggregate improvement could translate into sustained export growth across the economy.
Mian Zahid Hussain said exports reached $2.961 billion in September 2026, increasing 18.48 percent over September 2025 and 16.92 percent over August 2026. These figures indicated improving momentum, but one strong month could not establish a sustained recovery. Pharmaceutical exports illustrated this distinction as earnings increased 35.69 percent over August but remained 22.46 percent below September 2025. He said textile exports increased 5.26 percent to $5.026 billion during July–September 2026. Readymade garment exports grew 15.69 percent, while cotton cloth exports declined 5.34 percent. Food exports increased 25.31 percent, but rice accounted for approximately 83 percent of the additional earnings in this category. Meanwhile, fruit exports fell 30.62 percent and vegetable exports declined 20.48 percent. These divergent trends showed that stronger aggregate earnings were masking weaknesses in individual sectors. He urged the government to adopt targeted interventions reflecting each sector’s requirements.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that the deterioration in trade with Afghanistan, is because of worsening bilateral relations, security concerns over terrorism originating from Afghan territory, border clashes and the subsequent closure of major trade crossings. He said bank-recorded export receipts from Afghanistan declined from $783.95 million in FY2024–25 to $243.69 million in FY2025–26, a reduction of 68.91 percent. He said PBS figures showed that Pakistan’s pharmaceutical exports fell 30.26 percent, from $457.46 million in FY2024–25 to $319.01 million in FY2025–26. The weakness continued during July–September 2026, when export earnings declined 25.53 percent to $73.30 million, compared with $98.43 million during July–September 2025, before the October 2025 border closure. He added that the State Bank of Pakistan’s Monetary Policy Report, February 2026 had also identified the prolonged closure of the western border as a constraint on pharmaceutical exports to Afghanistan and Central Asian markets.
Mian Zahid Hussain urged the government to improve cold-storage infrastructure, accelerate clearance procedures and strengthen domestic testing and certification facilities to facilitate access to new markets. He acknowledged that internationally accredited laboratories already operated in Pakistan, but said their capabilities and accreditation scopes needed to cover the specific tests required by destination markets. He said that the government should prioritise testing for pesticide residues, contaminants and food safety, while working with relevant authorities and buyers in the European Union, Gulf countries and China to secure acceptance of the test reports. He said compliance with importing countries’ requirements was essential for converting export opportunities into sustained commercial relationships. He further said that where domestic capacity remained insufficient, Mian Zahid Hussain recommended encouraging internationally recognised testing organisations to establish accredited laboratories or joint ventures in Pakistan, accompanied by technology transfer and training for local personnel. These measures could reduce overseas testing expenses, repeated testing and shipment delays, particularly for smaller exporters. Pharmaceutical companies should similarly receive assistance with recognised quality testing, overseas product registration and regulatory compliance.
Mian Zahid Hussain called for the immediate release of exporters’ sales tax and income tax refunds and the provision of electricity and gas at competitive rates. Government support should encourage value addition, higher productivity and access to new markets. He also proposed a dashboard to monitor export destinations, quantities and earnings, enabling policymakers to distinguish temporary rebounds from genuine improvements in competitiveness. He concluded that the September 2026 figures provided grounds for cautious optimism, but a sustainable recovery required progress across a wider range of products, businesses and markets.