National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman retired Lt Gen Nazir Ahmed Butt expressed his annoyance over 25,000 Pakistanis who transferred their own wealth abroad to secure citizenship through investment schemes.
Speaking at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), he discouraged brain drain and capital outflow to safeguard the economy.
He acknowledged that Pakistan could become a trillion-dollar economy within six to seven years but there was a need to focus on AI, cloud computing, and software development rather than relying on trade agreements like the European Union’s GSP+ scheme.
The chairman said rice exports had reached $3.8 billion, while total agricultural exports stood at $9 billion. Pakistan had transitioned from an import-driven to an export-driven economy, he added.
Chairman NAB assured that the watchdog was committed to preventing harassment. He invited KCCI to submit cases for swift resolution and announced new measures to strengthen NAB’s Businessmen Facilitation Desk with representation from key industry bodies.