ISLAMABAD: American companies are gearing up with renewed interest in Pakistan’s investment opportunities, as the US State Department’s latest investment climate report noted that “the United States is one of Pakistan’s largest sources of FDI.”
“Other sectors attracting US interest include: information and communications technology (ICT), renewable energy, and healthcare services,” the report highlighted after the prelude statement, “US companies have profitable operations across a range of sectors, notably franchise operations, fast-moving consumer goods, agribusiness, and financial services,” in 2025 Investment Climate Statements: Pakistan, Published late September. And even before that, the report noted, “Pakistan’s business and investment landscape continues to pose challenges, according to investors,” the State Department officials pointed out in the report.
Foreign investors continue to cite difficulties in doing business in Pakistan, including red tape, a weak rule of law, ever-changing taxation policies, inadequate protection of intellectual property rights, corruption, and political uncertainty, they added.
“Despite challenges,” the State Department’s report itself appears to be the groundwork for the investors, which would be destined for Pakistan. The momentum for fresh US investments in Pakistan is building, as Islamabad is planning to organise an investment conference in Washington. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told Bloomberg in an interview that “we are working closely with our American partners to finalise an investment conference that will serve as a platform to deepen economic cooperation.”
The renewed drive follows last week’s White House meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Donald Trump. Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, also flanked the PM. Officials said the discussions centred on Pakistan’s mineral wealth, energy corridors, and policy incentives for American investors, with the military’s presence underscoring institutional backing for the initiative.
Earlier, Munir attended a luncheon at the White House with US President Donald Trump and senior US officials, which diplomatic sources described as a turning point in aligning security assurances with economic outreach. Trump had already signalled a quid pro quo arrangement, saying in remarks at the Oval Office that “greater access for US companies to Pakistan’s mineral and energy sectors will go hand in hand with tariff concessions and trade openings.”
The developments come amid unease in US–India ties over trade and geopolitical differences, prompting Washington to recalibrate its South Asia economic engagements. Analysts told Bloomberg that Pakistan’s strategic geography, coupled with untapped mineral resources, is once again attracting attention in Washington’s investment calculus.
With US companies already entrenched in franchising, consumer goods, and agribusiness, Islamabad expects new inflows in ICT, renewable energy, and healthcare. Officials from both sides say the upcoming joint investment conference will mark a launchpad for a fresh wave of US capital into Pakistan’s economy.
