Haroon Akhtar Khan, the prime minister’s adviser on industries and production, spoke at a 3 October event in Lahore marking the launch of a new vehicle by Changan and its Pakistani partners. He argued that Pakistan’s automotive sector should move beyond assembly. Khan described the government’s Auto and Auto Parts Manufacturing Policy 2026–31 as an effort to improve competitiveness, deepen production capabilities and connect the industry to global value chains. The vehicle launch was the occasion; his remarks focused on the sector’s longer-term direction.

Khan said local-content policy should do more than establish capacity for the domestic market. Pakistani-made components, he argued, should reach the quality and capability needed to serve international production networks. The speech presented an automobile plant as a potential anchor for a wider value chain, extending from suppliers to engineering services. The adviser said manufacturers’ markets should not be confined to one factory or city but should be capable of reaching overseas customers. This was an ambition expressed by the government, not a specific supply contract disclosed at the event.

Electric vehicles formed a central part of the technology discussion. Khan described electric mobility as an industrial opportunity but warned against Pakistan remaining only a buyer of imported vehicles. He identified batteries, motors, charging equipment, power electronics, automotive software and energy storage as capabilities the country should develop. He welcomed Chinese investment while stressing that capital alone would not deliver the desired transformation: engineering knowledge and technology transfer also mattered. The ministry’s account did not say that these technologies are already being produced locally or that a particular investment has been finalized.

Khan said the 2026–31 policy aims for a more competitive, resilient automotive industry that is integrated with international value chains. He argued that reaching that goal would require tariff rationalisation, higher productivity and fewer unnecessary administrative obstacles. Industrial protection, in his framing, should help firms prepare for global competition rather than become a permanent destination. The government would provide a policy and regulatory framework, while companies would be expected to deliver efficiency, quality and results. The announcement gave no implementation timetable, quantified export target or detailed policy decision showing that the proposals had taken effect.

The adviser also described Pakistan’s young workforce as a major industrial asset and set out a progression from assembly to manufacturing, engineering, design and innovation. He said consumers should receive better safety, reliable service and competitive prices. The event therefore conveyed policy priorities and expectations, rather than a report of completed technology transfer or export gains. Khan congratulated Changan and its Pakistani partners on the vehicle launch, presenting it as part of the country’s wider automotive ecosystem; the ministry did not disclose additional commercial terms for the launch.