{"id":93574,"date":"2026-02-12T09:42:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T04:42:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/?p=93574"},"modified":"2026-02-12T09:42:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T04:42:44","slug":"us-deputy-assist-secretary-calls-on-finance-minister-discuss-economic-reforms-investment-climate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/us-deputy-assist-secretary-calls-on-finance-minister-discuss-economic-reforms-investment-climate\/","title":{"rendered":"US deputy assist. secretary calls on finance minister, discuss economic reforms, investment climate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>US Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs John Mark Pommersheim on Wednesday called on Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb and discussed Pakistan\u2019s economic outlook, reform agenda and avenues for enhanced bilateral economic cooperation.<br \/>\nJohn mark, accompanied by US Charg\u00e9 d\u2019Affaires to Pakistan Natalie A. Baker, said a news release.<br \/>\nThe minister welcomed Pommersheim and appreciated the longstanding support and engagement of the United States in Pakistan\u2019s economic development, particularly cooperation in multilateral financial frameworks.<br \/>\nBoth sides exchanged views on Pakistan\u2019s economic outlook, reform agenda, and avenues for enhancing bilateral economic cooperation.<br \/>\nAurangzeb briefed the visiting delegation on Pakistan\u2019s macroeconomic stabilization and reform progress with focus on transitioning toward sustainable, export-led growth.<br \/>\nHe shared that the fiscal deficit has declined, the current account has improved due to strong remittance inflows and growth in IT exports, and credit ratings have shown positive movement.<br \/>\nThe minister emphasized that the government will stay the course in strengthening fiscal discipline, ensuring external stability, and undertaking structural reforms that support durable growth.<br \/>\nHe noted that reforms in state-owned enterprises and right-sizing of the public sector are being accelerated to improve efficiency and reduce fiscal risks.<br \/>\nThe minister also highlighted growing investor confidence, citing recent indigenous investment initiatives and increased private-sector participation.<br \/>\nJohn Mark acknowledged Pakistan\u2019s efforts toward fiscal stabilization and welcomed the signs of improvement in key macroeconomic indicators.<br \/>\nHe emphasized that the United States values a stable and prosperous Pakistan and noted that strengthening the investment climate remains a shared priority.<br \/>\nHe observed that U.S. businesses are closely watching reform progress and that improved policy consistency would further support commercial engagement.<br \/>\nThe minister reiterated Pakistan\u2019s commitment to facilitating foreign investment and maintaining regular engagement with the U.S. business community, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Business Council.<br \/>\nThe minister also briefed John Mark on Pakistan\u2019s plans to re-enter international capital markets, including Panda Bond issuance, as part of a broader strategy to diversify financing sources.<br \/>\nOn privatization, the minister reaffirmed the government\u2019s resolve to move forward expeditiously. He noted that the privatization process is gaining momentum, with upcoming steps including transactions in the banking and power distribution sectors, as well as outsourcing of major airports beginning with Islamabad.<br \/>\nHe said that recent developments have reinforced the government\u2019s commitment to reform and private-sector participation.<br \/>\nThe meeting concluded with both sides expressing appreciation for the constructive dialogue and agreeing to maintain close engagement to further strengthen Pakistan\u2013U.S. economic cooperation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs John Mark Pommersheim on Wednesday called on Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb and discussed Pakistan\u2019s economic outlook, reform agenda and avenues for enhanced bilateral economic cooperation. John mark, accompanied by US Charg\u00e9 d\u2019Affaires to Pakistan Natalie A. Baker, said a news &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":93585,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93574"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93588,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93574\/revisions\/93588"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}