Pakistan is a significant trade and economic partner of the Republic of Belarus in South Asia. Pakistan can and should be bet on, considering the possibilities of entering the Asian markets, expanding the geography of sales of products in the region. The review presents the dynamics of the construction industry of Pakistan, a list of the main infrastructure projects, data on the import of construction equipment and materials of interest from the point of view of opportunities for increasing the volume of supplies from Belarus.
Construction is one of the most promising and key sectors for national development of Pakistan's economy. In 2024, its share in the country's GDP was 2.37%, and its share in the country's industry was 13.01%.
The main driver of growth is several dozen large-scale infrastructure projects within the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The corridor, which is part of the Belt and Road Initiative, is designed to connect the Chinese province of Kashgar with the Pakistani ports of Karachi and Gwadar on the coast of the Arabian Sea. As of 2023, the construction of over 50 facilities worth 25 billion US dollars has been completed, and the total budget of the projects planned by the parties exceeds 65 billion dollars.
The CPEC also envisages the development of port infrastructure, telecommunications, numerous industrial and social facilities, and the development of free economic zones.
In addition, a large-scale housing construction program is being implemented in Pakistan, aimed at meeting the demand of the country's rapidly growing population. This demand is about 700 thousand housing units annually, of which only half are actually built. The housing shortage is 10 million units, and this number is constantly increasing.
One of the largest in this area is the "Eighteen" project in Islamabad, worth about 2 billion US dollars. It includes the construction of more than 2 million m2 of area with residential complexes of more than 2 thousand villas and apartments, the construction of a shopping center and business park, a five-star hotel, numerous medical, sports, educational institutions and recreational facilities.
The leading enterprises of the construction industry include:
National Logistics Corporation is a subordinate organization of the Federal Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives. It provides logistics services, and is also engaged in the construction of roads, overpasses, bridges, water communications and treatment facilities, high-rise, warehouse and other facilities. A total of 262 projects have been completed and another 80 are under implementation.
Habib Construction Services implements large-scale transport and infrastructure projects, including under government orders (highways, bridges, dams, airports, power plants, etc.).
Imarat Group of Companies is a British-Pakistani industrial group that took an active part in the development of the Pakistani construction industry. Since 2015, it has been building a number of residential and commercial facilities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Zahir Khan & Brothers provides design and construction services for large infrastructure projects: highways, bridges, interchanges, metro lines, dams and embankments, water treatment and sewage systems.
Frontier Works Organization was established in 1966 to build the Karakoram Highway, one of the key transport arteries on the Eurasian continent. Subsequently, it was engaged in the construction of numerous infrastructure facilities in Pakistan and abroad, including in difficult seismogeological conditions, as well as mine clearance in Kuwait after the Iraq-Kuwait war.
National Engineering Services Pakistan (Nespak) is one of the 200 largest global consulting companies. It specializes in urban construction, transport, water and energy infrastructure projects. A total of 3339 projects have been implemented, of which 2854 are in Pakistan and 485 are in the countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Union Developers Pvt. LTD is one of the largest private developers, engaged in the construction of residential, including luxury, facilities, shopping centers, educational and healthcare institutions.
In the early 2020s, the government adopted a number of special incentives aimed at accelerating the development of construction. They include preferential taxation of income of construction organizations, transactions for the purchase of building materials and real estate sales, simplified issuance of construction permits. Banks are required to reserve at least 5% of total lending for financing construction projects.
Experts predict that in the coming years, this sector will maintain positive dynamics, and it will grow annually by 5-7% at least until 2031. Construction volumes may almost double by 2030, as the combination of demographic pressure, industry reforms and government support underpins the market in the long term.
Accordingly, a stable demand for materials, equipment and technologies should be expected, which will also affect Pakistani imports. At the same time, Pakistan has large domestic production of materials such as cement, MDF boards, brick, etc. They largely cover domestic needs, and a significant part of these products is exported. Some equipment and materials are imported into the country on a targeted basis from China under Chinese financing of CPEC projects.
New trends in the construction industry of Pakistan in the coming years will be the use of innovative technologies and materials in design (drones, AI solutions) and construction (self-healing concrete, lightweight composites, fire-resistant materials, etc.); construction of "smart" roads (electrification using solar energy, the use of artificial intelligence to regulate traffic, the introduction of particularly durable types of road surface); high-rise, including earthquake-resistant, construction; water conservation in the construction process (water purification, its diversion for irrigation purposes, etc.).
It seems that the most significant prospects in the Pakistani market may be associated with the supply of Belarusian construction equipment and the creation of its assembly plants here. Given the scale and long-term nature of construction plans in this country, it also makes sense to constantly study the demand and competitiveness of certain types of domestic materials, components and technologies. For this purpose, it is advisable to use, including participation in such specialized events in Pakistan as the international exhibitions Build Pakistan (Lahore, August 1-3, 2025) and Build Asia (Karachi, December 23-25, 2025).
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