Finance Minister outlines six economic priorities at OICCI

October 02, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan's economy is moving in the right direction, and that sustainable growth will have to be led by the private sector, while the Government continues to provide a conducive business environment, policy framework and investment ecosystem

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb made the remarks during his visit to the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) in Karachi, where he addressed members and stakeholders, according to a press release issued.

The finance minister also laid out six economic priorities:

1) Bringing permanence to macroeconomic stability by building lasting fiscal and external resilience and stronger shock-absorbing capacity.

2) Moving from stabilisation to sustainable, inclusive and responsible growth driven by productivity, investment, exports and jobs.

3)Staying the course on structural reforms through sustained, credible and implementation-focused measures.

4)Moving from aid to trade and investment by reorienting Pakistan's global economic engagement towards trade, investment and private capital flows.

5) Expanding access to finance for SMEs, agriculture, housing and underserved segments

6)Positioning Pakistan for the New Economy by harnessing digitalisation, blockchain, Web 3.0 and emerging technologies

The discussion also covered measures to improve the business environment, facilitate investment and strengthen private sector-led growth.

The minister said the economy had contracted three years ago and has since moved from stabilisation towards growth, which now has to be kept sustainable.

He stressed the need to consolidate these gains and break away from the boom-and-bust cycle.

Growth, he said, must increasingly be driven by productivity, investment, exports and employment, rather than temporary injections of liquidity and consumption-led expansion.

Outlining the six priorities, he said the Government aims to bring permanence to macroeconomic stability by building lasting fiscal and external resilience and stronger shock-absorbing capacity.

It also wants to move from stabilisation to sustainable, inclusive and responsible growth driven by productivity, investment, exports and jobs, and to stay the course on structural reforms through sustained, credible and implementation-focused measures.

He added that Pakistan's global economic engagement is being reoriented from aid towards trade, investment and private capital flows, while access to finance is being expanded for SMEs, agriculture, housing and underserved segments.

The sixth priority is positioning Pakistan for the New Economy by harnessing digitalisation, blockchain, Web 3.0 and emerging technologies.

On domestic investment and capital formation, the minister pointed to the PIA transaction, where major Pakistani business groups worked together and mobilised close to US$1.2bn collectively.

He said this reflected the growing capacity of local investors to create scale and pursue larger opportunities.

He added that the Government's job is to provide a business-friendly and enabling environment, including through engagement with US EXIM Bank, other export credit agencies and international partners, as well as through tariff discussions and negotiations.

On foreign investment, he said measures were under way to attract more international investment. He cited emerging interest in mining and minerals, technology, agriculture, oil and gas, and refinery upgrades.

He also noted interest from Turkish investors in the privatisation of electricity distribution companies, and from Saudi and other international investors across several sectors. He added that foreign investment takes time to materialise and needs policy continuity, effective facilitation and a conducive ecosystem.

Turning to structural reforms, he said these had moved beyond the design phase into execution, covering taxation, energy, State-Owned Enterprises, privatisation and public finance.

The number of tax filers, he said, has crossed 5.7mn, compared with around 3.9mn last year and roughly 1.8mn to 1.9mn in 2022.

Revenue mobilisation will continue alongside taxpayer facilitation and trust-building, with digitalisation and data playing a bigger role in tax administration.

He stressed that stronger and more efficient revenue collection is essential for fiscal stability and for creating space for productive investment.

On access to finance, he said Rs60bn has already been financed under the Prime Minister's Apna Ghar Programme, and banks have approved a substantial additional pipeline.

He said the challenge is increasingly shifting from availability of financing to strengthening the supply side, so that credit translates into construction, investment, employment and broader economic activity.

He also stressed the need to deepen capital markets so that domestic savings can be channelled into infrastructure, housing, privatisation and private-sector expansion. The Government, he said, is working to strengthen the broader capital-market ecosystem and create more avenues for capital formation.

He reiterated the objective of moving Pakistan's bilateral economic relationships from aid towards trade and investment, and pointed to opportunities in digitalisation, blockchain, Web 3.0 and emerging technologies to support investment, innovation, exports and employment.

Concluding, he said Pakistan's economic trajectory will increasingly depend on the private sector's ability to invest, innovate, create jobs and expand productive capacity.

The Government, he said, will focus on policy continuity, facilitation and sound economic governance, and reaffirmed its resolve to bring permanence to macroeconomic stability and strengthen investor confidence.

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