Islamabad: The United Kingdom has reaffirmed its commitment to providing technical assistance, regulatory support, and capacity-building to Pakistan across key areas. This resolve was expressed by UK Minister for Development Baroness Chapman at a meeting with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb in Islamabad today.

According to Radio Pakistan, the potential areas of cooperation include digitalisation, governance reforms, enhancing the investment climate, and improving the ease of doing business. The conversation also addressed opportunities to deepen bilateral engagement, including enhanced high-level exchanges and collaboration with the private sector.

The discussion covered a wide range of bilateral and economic matters, beginning with the Minister’s appreciation for the United Kingdom’s support at the IMF, which contributed to the successful completion of Pakistan’s programme reviews. Both sides exchanged views on Pakistan’s macroeconomic stabilisation efforts and the Government’s commitment to structural reforms in taxation, energy, state-owned enterprises, public finance management, and privatization.

The meeting also included an exchange of perspectives on Pakistan’s devolved governance structure and the need for federal-provincial coordination to strengthen investment in health, education, population management, and climate resilience. Both sides discussed women’s economic participation, demographic challenges, and policy options to support family planning and social protection interventions.

Muhammad Aurangzeb welcomed the prospect of expanding cooperation in economic management, climate and population policy, and financial sector reforms, and noted Pakistan’s interest in continued dialogue with UK institutions. The two sides expressed commitment to strengthening the long-standing partnership between Pakistan and the United Kingdom and agreed to work closely on shared development priorities.

British High Commissioner Ms. Jane Marriott and senior British officials accompanied Baroness Chapman.