FAISALABAD: Patron-in-Chief of the Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) Khurram Mukhtar has welcomed the encouraging start to Pakistan’s export performance in the first month of FY2026-27, saying that the latest figures reflect the resilience of the country’s export sector despite persistent domestic and global challenges.
Commenting on the trade data on Wednesday, he said Pakistan’s exports increased by 10 per cent year-on-year to $2.96 billion in July 2026, compared with $2.69 billion in the corresponding month last year. Textile exports, which account for nearly 62 per cent of the country’s total exports, also posted a healthy 9 per cent growth, rising from $1.68 billion to $1.83 billion. The export sector demonstrated its ability to perform whenever provided with a supportive business environment. However, he cautioned against interpreting a single month’s performance as a long-term trend, noting that Pakistan’s export growth has historically remained inconsistent due to unresolved structural issues.
He observed that the composition of imports also required a careful analysis. While a 43 per cent increase in capital goods imports was a positive indicator of industrial investment and future productive capacity and higher imports of raw materials could support export-oriented manufacturing, the 27 per cent rise in consumer goods imports was a matter of concern as it could widen the trade deficit without contributing to export growth.
The PTEA patron-in-chief stressed that sustainable export expansion would only be possible through comprehensive reforms across the entire export ecosystem. He called for competitive energy tariffs, lower input costs, timely payment of tax refunds, rationalisation of provincial taxes, improved logistics infrastructure, simplified regulatory procedures, and internationally-recognised certification systems.
He emphasized that policy consistency remained the single most important requirement for attracting long-term investment in the export sector. “Exporters make investment decisions for years, not for a single quarter,” he said. “Frequent policy changes, uncertainty over incentives, delayed implementation of announced measures and stop-and-go policies undermine business confidence and discourage industrial expansion.”
Khurram urged the government to focus on long-term structural reforms instead of temporary interventions, saying that a predictable and competitive business environment would enable Pakistan’s exporters to significantly enhance their presence in global markets and place the country’s exports on a sustainable growth trajectory.
