Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to fiscal discipline, external sustainability and reform momentum, while creating greater space for domestic and international private capital.

He was speaking at the J.P. Morgan Conference in London.

The Finance Minister said the objective is now to ensure that stability becomes durable and provides the foundation for a different growth model, one increasingly driven by investment, productivity, exports and private sector activity rather than short term, consumption-led expansion.

He said the Government is also developing a National Private Equity Framework to mobilize institutional capital into businesses and projects and strengthen the ecosystem for private equity and venture capital.

The Finance Minister said access to finance is also being expanded across SMEs, agriculture and housing so that macroeconomic stability could translate into greater credit, investment and productive activity.

On external economic engagement, Muhammad Aurangzeb said Pakistan is moving decisively from traditional dependence on aid towards stronger trade and investment flows. While acknowledging the importance of bilateral partnerships, he emphasized the need to deepen both goods and services trade and attract greater long term investment through mutually beneficial economic relationships.

On the occasion, the Governor State Bank of Pakistan, Jameel Ahmad, highlighted the strengthening of Pakistan’s external position, noting the improvement in foreign exchange reserves, the quality of reserve accumulation, rising remittance flows and strengthening external-sector fundamentals.