Islamabad: Pakistan and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to enhance bilateral cooperation, focusing on economic reforms, climate action, private sector-led growth, and sustainable development. This resolve was expressed during a meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and British High Commissioner Jane Marriott in Islamabad.

According to Radio Pakistan, Finance Minister Aurangzeb emphasized the government’s dedication to ensuring macroeconomic stability while shifting towards investment- and export-led growth to avoid historical boom-bust cycles. He highlighted the importance of generating bankable projects and strengthening private sector-led investment opportunities.

The Minister briefed the High Commissioner on ongoing tax reforms aimed at documentation, digitalization, broadening the tax base, and minimizing leakages. He noted the deployment of AI-based monitoring systems to curb tax evasion and enhance compliance.

Furthermore, the Finance Minister discussed key policy areas needing attention, such as incentivizing skilled talent retention, addressing sector-specific tax challenges in the IT sector, and improving the ease of doing business to attract foreign expertise and investors.

High Commissioner Jane Marriott acknowledged the government’s commitment to sustaining reform efforts and appreciated the strategic direction for long-term economic growth. She emphasized the importance of continuing reforms to maintain investor trust, including strengthening the social contract with taxpayers, improving talent availability, and streamlining processes for foreign executives working in Pakistan.