25 September 2025, Islamabad — In a decisive moment for Pakistan’s sustainability journey, the ESG Summit – Pakistan 2025 (an initiative of Global Peace Summit) concluded with a rare sense of urgency and resolve. Organized under the banner of the Global Peace Summit, the event convened some of the most senior figures in public policy, corporate leadership, academia, and civil society. The gathering represented not just a milestone in technical discourse but also a cultural shift in how environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles are framed in Pakistan: less as a compliance box-tick, more as a moral and legal imperative.
From the very outset, the Summit distinguished itself by its framing. In his opening remarks, the Founder and Chairman of the Global Peace Summit, Mr. Shaikh Mahmud bin Ilas, underscored the gravity of the task at hand: “We gather not merely as representatives of business, government, or civil society, but as stewards of a shared future.” That statement became the Summit’s refrain. Every panel, workshop, and exchange seemed anchored in the idea that ESG decision-making is not only about markets or metrics, but about forests, water, livelihoods, and dignity.
The Executive Director of the Global Peace Summit closed the sessions with three sharply defined calls to action: move from ambition to integrated implementation, embrace collaboration and transparency, and measure what truly matters. His parting challenge — to turn words into enforceable frameworks and measurable outcomes — reflected the Summit’s ambition to be more than a talking shop.
A Convergence of Sectors and Stakes
The breadth of participation set the Summit apart. Senior regulators and policymakers from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and key ministries — Climate, Energy, and Defence — sat shoulder to shoulder with CEOs, financiers, Shariah scholars, technologists, and activists. It was a rare convergence of voices that do not often meet in the same room, much less in structured dialogue.
For many participants, this alone was significant. “The conversation was not happening in silos,” noted one delegate from the private sector. “It was regulators listening to business, business listening to civil society, and civil society shaping the frameworks.”
Designing the Foundations: Taxonomy and Governance
The first panel to attract wide attention addressed Taxonomy and Governance Frameworks — the backbone of any credible ESG regime.
Musarat Jabeen, Executive Director at SECP, argued that Pakistan urgently needs a national ESG taxonomy that provides uniform criteria for disclosures and prevents greenwashing. Faisal Shafaat, Additional Director, Sustainable Dept., State Bank of Pakistan, explained how supervisory tools, coupled with green finance incentives, can nudge banks toward integrating climate risks into their lending portfolios.
The business and professional services perspective came from Assad Hameed Khan, CEO of ACCA Pakistan, who insisted on capacity building for accountants and auditors. “If the disclosures cannot be assured and compared, the system collapses,” he warned. Deputy Auditor General Raheela Zahid reinforced this point, describing independent verification mechanisms as essential to maintaining public trust.
Academia added nuance. Professor Muhammad Ayub of Riphah International University suggested phased thresholds tailored to Pakistan’s industrial mix, warning against a one-size-fits-all regime that could overwhelm smaller enterprises.
Moderated by Shozab Majeed, Consultant, World Bank and Co-founder/Executive Director of the Global Peace Summit, the panel achieved something rare: a consensus roadmap linking taxonomy development to green bonds, disclosure rules, and auditor training. For many in the audience, this marked the moment where principle began translating into policy architecture.
From Policy to Practice: Climate Action in Industry
If the governance discussion was foundational, the panel on From Policy to Practice: Climate Action and Corporate Responsibility was unapologetically operational.
Farrukh Ahmed, Deputy GM for ESG at Pakistan State Oil, laid out the energy sector’s decarbonization levers and called for blended finance models to fund costly retrofits. Shahzad Safdar, Executive Director of HR at OGDCL, highlighted the human element — workforce transitions and the need to align human-capital planning with decarbonization pathways.
Civil society and corporate voices added further layers. GAIA’s CEO, Sumaira Khan, pressed for community resilience projects and nature-based solutions, while Fauzia Khan, Director of Sustainability at HCC London, argued for embedding climate risk in investment appraisals. On the legal front, Sarah Kazmi of Islamabad Electric Company detailed how contractual key performance indicators (KPIs) can transform voluntary pledges into enforceable obligations.
Under the moderation of Rajaa Bokhari, Senior Manager at EFU Life Assurance, the panel produced a concrete checklist: science-based KPIs, sector roadmaps for energy and heavy industry, fiscal incentives for green investments, and structured public-private partnerships.
Faith and Finance: Shariah-Compliant ESG Investing
Pakistan’s financial landscape cannot be fully addressed without engaging with faith-based finance. The panel on Shariah-Compliant ESG Investing and Sustainable Finance at the ESG Summit reimagined Islamic finance instruments as vehicles for sustainability.
Syed Mazhar Abbas, Advisor to the Shariah Board at PSX and SECP, explained how Shariah screens can be aligned with ESG criteria without diluting either. Omar Mustafa Ansari, Secretary-General of AAOIFI, mapped the overlaps between global Islamic finance standards and sustainable development goals, particularly in sukuk and waqf financing.
Academics like Dr. Salman Shaikh of IIU Malaysia offered methodological models for creating Shariah-compliant ESG indices, while practitioners like Mehmood Arshad of Pak-Qatar Takaful discussed how takaful can pool risks to support community resilience. Former SBP regulator Muhammad Islam Ahmed described supervisory expectations for these new instruments.
The session, moderated by Zulqarnain Haider of Meezan Bank, concluded with clear recommendations: standardized screening methodologies, transparent governance for indices, and enabling regulation to scale Islamic finance products for ESG-aligned development.
Data, Technology, and Trust
As ESG frameworks expand, credibility and data integrity remain persistent challenges. The panel on AI, Technology, and ESG Integration at the ESG Summit addressed this directly.
Jazz’s Head of ESG, Fahad Rehman, showcased how telecom-scale analytics can feed real-time sustainability dashboards. Syed Akbar Mahmood Shirazi of NEECA outlined national digital initiatives to support energy efficiency benchmarking. Meanwhile, SGS Pakistan’s Sustainability Lead, Raazia Anum, highlighted the importance of traceability and third-party assurance.
Moderator Zunaira Omar, CEO and Founder of TheSquarePeg, steered the discussion toward actionable pilots: interoperable data platforms, blockchain traceability in high-risk supply chains, and targeted training for compliance teams. The underlying message was blunt: technology must enable trustworthy disclosures, not provide cover for opaque practices.
The View from the Top
Strategic keynote inputs grounded the discussions in reality. Dr. Fiaz Chaudhry, Chairman of NTDC, mapped decarbonization pathways for Pakistan’s energy grid and flagged the urgent need for grid resilience. SECP Commissioner Zeeshan Ahmed Khattak clarified regulatory intent, signaling timelines for phased ESG disclosure and market-enabling measures. Both speakers reminded the audience of feasibility constraints while reinforcing that regulatory will was no longer in doubt.
A Blueprint for Action
Across the panels, common threads emerged:
– A national ESG taxonomy linked to green bonds and disclosure rules.
– Sector-specific climate roadmaps and standardized KPIs.
– Faith-based ESG finance instruments with transparent governance.
– Digital and assurance pilots to prevent greenwashing.
The Global Peace Summit pledged to consolidate these findings into a policy paper and Summit report, to be shared with SECP, SBP, and the relevant ministries. The rollout plan includes regulatory consultations, industry guidance documents, and technical assistance programs to operationalize taxonomy rules, disclosure standards, and traceability pilots.
Forging Partnerships
Acknowledgment flowed to the individuals who shaped the discussions — from regulators like Musarat Jabeen and Faisal Shafaat, to corporate leaders such as Farrukh Ahmed and Shahzad Safdar, academics like Professor Ayub and Dr. Salman Shaikh, and practitioners across law, finance, and technology. Moderators including Shozab Majeed, Rajaa Bokhari, Zulqarnain Haider, and Zunaira Omar ensured focus and pragmatism throughout. The event’s flow was anchored by Master of Ceremony Mohammed Shuaeb (Host, PTV Home), whose role made technical discussions accessible to a wider audience.
The Summit also owed much to its sponsors: Pakistan State Oil, Bank Al Habib Limited, OGDCL, Mari Energies, Askari Bank Limited, Pakistan Petroleum Limited, EFU Life Assurance, and Pak-Qatar Takaful. Their support underscored the growing willingness of Pakistan’s corporate sector to align itself with sustainability agendas.
From Words to Implementation
As the curtains fell, the message was unambiguous: the ESG Summit Pakistan 2025 was not an endpoint but a beginning. The forthcoming policy paper and report will serve as blueprints, but their success depends on whether regulators, businesses, and civil society can collaborate to transform frameworks into measurable outcomes.
The challenge, as the Executive Director, Mr. Shozab Majeed, reminded participants in his closing call, is to move from ambition into action, from standards into investment, and from conversation into accountability. Only then will the Summit’s extraordinary energy leave a legacy for both people and planet.
