Pakistan told senior World Bank and International Finance Corporation officials on Friday that it wants to turn restored economic stability into lasting, investment-led growth, rather than a brief period of calm followed by renewed pressure on prices and reserves.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met a delegation led by Sandeep Mahajan, the World Bank's Regional Practice Director for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, alongside Country Director Bolormaa Amgaabazar and International Finance Corporation Division Director Simon Andrews. The meeting took place in Islamabad on 23 October.

Mahajan congratulated Pakistan on restoring macroeconomic stability and praised the government's handling of pressures arising from recent regional conflict. He said buffers built through stabilisation measures and a timely policy response had helped the country withstand external shocks, and stressed that those gains now need to be protected through continued reform and effective implementation.

Durable stability, then growth

Aurangzeb said the government's priority is to make stability durable and translate it into sustainable, investment-led and export-driven growth. He pointed to Pakistan's renewed access to international capital markets, including a recent 3 billion US dollar Eurobond issue with five-year and ten-year maturities, and said further credit-rating upgrades, stronger investor confidence and an improved sovereign credit profile remain central goals.

Reform agenda

The talks also covered fiscal discipline, vulnerabilities in the external sector, private-sector investment, regulatory clarity, privatisation and financing for infrastructure. Both sides said they would keep working together on reforms and consistent policies aimed at supporting investment and employment, with policy continuity presented as essential to winning and keeping investor trust.

Sources: The News; Mettis Global.