Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and World Bank officials discuss sustaining economic stability, improving investor confidence, accelerating privatisation and creating jobs through private-sector-led growth.
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb has held talks with senior World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) officials on Pakistan’s economic reform agenda, investment priorities and transition from macroeconomic stabilisation to sustainable growth.
The meeting was attended by Sandeep Mahajan, Regional Practice Director for the Prosperity Vertical covering the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP), World Bank; Bolormaa Amgaabazar, Country Director; and Simon Andrews, Division Director at the IFC.
Mahajan congratulated Pakistan on restoring macroeconomic stability and commended the government’s management of the recent crisis arising from regional conflict. He said stabilisation measures and a timely policy response had helped the country withstand external pressures, stressing the importance of continued reforms and effective implementation.
Aurangzeb said the government’s priority was to make economic stability durable and translate it into sustainable, investment-led and export-led growth.
He highlighted Pakistan’s renewed access to international capital markets, including its recent issuance of US$3 billion in Eurobonds with five-year and 10-year maturities. He also emphasised the need to secure further credit rating upgrades, strengthen investor confidence and improve the country’s sovereign credit profile.
The finance minister underlined the importance of maintaining fiscal discipline, addressing external-sector vulnerabilities and establishing a credible framework for responsible, sustainable growth driven by private investment.
Discussions also focused on policy continuity, with Aurangzeb stressing that investment and productivity depended on a predictable regulatory environment and consistent implementation of government policies.
Both sides explored opportunities to support the government’s growth and employment agenda through greater private-sector investment, improved regulation and infrastructure financing.
The discussions covered privatisation, clear regulatory frameworks and credible post-privatisation arrangements, alongside potential infrastructure projects involving appropriate financing structures and development partners.
The participants reaffirmed their commitment to continued cooperation between Pakistan and the World Bank, focusing on structural reforms, policy continuity and converting economic stabilisation gains into investment, employment and improved economic opportunities.