EVs take centre stage as Pakistan reviews auto policy

June 08, 2026 (MLN): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Monday chaired a high-level inter-ministerial meeting to review Pakistan's automotive and auto parts policy, placing electric vehicles (EVs) at the centre of the country's industrial and climate agenda.

Dar stressed the need to build a competitive, innovative and sustainable automotive ecosystem capable of driving economic expansion, strengthening industrial capacity, creating skilled employment and meeting the country's environmental commitments, as reported by APP.

The meeting was attended by the ministers for power, petroleum and climate change, the PM's adviser on industries and production, ministers of state for finance and railways, SAPM Tariq Bajwa, and secretaries of commerce, industries and production and petroleum, alongside the national coordinator of NCMC and senior policy experts and economists.

The forum on a range of measures under consideration, including incentives to spur EV adoption, frameworks to deepen domestic manufacturing, policy instruments to ease industry growth and pathways to expand exports while advancing Pakistan's climate mitigation goals.

The discussions also touched on estimates suggesting EVs could generate a significant wave of new employment in assembly, battery supply chains and aftermarket services sectors where Pakistan has largely untapped potential.

Pakistan's EV penetration remains nascent, with electric two- and three-wheelers accounting for the bulk of registrations to date and passenger EVs yet to gain meaningful traction.

Policymakers are looking to address key bottlenecks including charging infrastructure, import duties on EV components and localisation requirements that could anchor manufacturing within the country.

To advance the policy in a structured and inclusive manner, the committee constituted a subcommittee tasked with conducting stakeholder consultations across the value chain before finalising the draft policy framework.

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