Pakistan, Nov. 15 -- Pakistan's new Auto Policy 2026-31 promises cheaper and safer cars, but its biggest benefits will go to a small, better-off group of car buyers, while the motorcyclists and public-transport users who make up most of the country gain little, a policy consultant told a LENS workshop on Saturday.

Bilawal Suhag, Head of Research at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), who presented an analysis of the policy to journalists, said a public policy should be judged on one test: whether it helps people get to work, school and healthcare affordably and safely. On that measure, he argued, the policy falls short.

Of Pakistan's 241.5 million people, living in about 40 million households with an av...