Islamabad: DRAP and SECP have been declared Pakistan’s top “Champions of Regulatory Reforms” after an independent UK-International Department assessment ranked both authorities as the strongest performers among more than 50 federal and provincial regulatory bodies responsible for compliance, business facilitation and public oversight across the country.
The announcement was formally recognised at the launch of National Regulatory Reforms at the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday, where Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the leadership of both organisations. He said their progress shows how modern, service-oriented regulation can rebuild confidence, stability and trust for businesses and citizens.
The performance review was carried out by UKAID on behalf of the Board of Investment to assess how Pakistan’s regulatory institutions are improving transparency, reducing compliance burdens, simplifying processes and supporting investors. Officials familiar with the evaluation said DRAP and SECP scored the highest on parameters including digital reforms, regulatory predictability, consistency, governance, public service delivery, licensing efficiency and overall ease of doing business.
Pakistan has more than 50 federal and provincial regulatory bodies, and the international evaluators found DRAP and SECP to be the top two authorities demonstrating sustained, measurable progress in multiple reform areas.
Shehbaz Sharif said both organisations had made visible improvements in digitisation, licensing reforms, investor facilitation, transparency in approvals, traceback systems, compliance automation and public accessibility of regulatory information. He added that Pakistan needs regulatory authorities that are modern and predictable so investors are encouraged, businesses grow and people benefit from fair and reliable systems.
The Prime Minister urged all other regulatory bodies to follow the example of DRAP and SECP by modernising their rules, reducing paperwork, eliminating delays, digitising approvals and adopting service-oriented governance models. He said Pakistan cannot afford outdated and opaque regulatory structures and that strengthening institutions is essential for economic recovery and attracting investment.
On behalf of DRAP, the recognition was received by its Chief Executive Officer Dr Obaidullah, while Akif Ahmad, Commissioner SECP, received the award for the commission. Senior officials from the Board of Investment, federal ministries, development partners and international representatives attended the ceremony.
DRAP officials said the acknowledgment reflects years of work to clean up regulatory systems, tighten oversight and modernise pharmaceutical governance. Under Dr Obaidullah’s leadership, DRAP has implemented major reforms including digitalisation of drug and medical device registration, licensing and import-export permissions, an online pharmacovigilance reporting system, enforcement of Good Manufacturing Practices at pharmaceutical facilities, and modernisation of the quality testing regime.
It also created a centralised portal for drug pricing, automated regulatory inspections, cracked down on unregistered and substandard products and increased transparency around regulatory decisions.
DRAP also introduced risk-based market surveillance, faster approvals for essential medicines and stronger coordination with provincial drug inspectors. Officials said these reforms reduced processing times, improved compliance and created a clearer regulatory environment for industry and patients.
SECP also emerged as a top-performing regulatory body under its chairperson, who oversaw major improvements in corporate governance, digital onboarding of companies, simplified incorporation processes, automated filings, investor protection mechanisms, anti-money laundering compliance frameworks, virtual litigation systems and stronger oversight of non-bank financial institutions.
The commission was noted for reducing procedural steps, improving turnaround times and introducing digital tools that support enterprise growth and financial market transparency.
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Minister of State for the Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Shaikh said the recognition aims to build a culture of performance and competition among regulatory bodies so the public sector moves away from control-oriented practices toward service delivery. Haroon Akhtar Khan, SAPM on Industries and Production, said regulatory predictability is essential for industrial expansion and investment. Jennifer Chapman, UK Minister of State for Development, said UKAID supported the assessment to help Pakistan build strong, transparent and trusted institutions that can accelerate economic growth and attract global investors.
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