Finance Minister Calls for Optimizing Investment and Trade Between Pakistan, Oman

Federal Minister for Finance Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb held a virtual meeting with Juland Jaifer Salim Al-Said, Chairman of the Pak Oman Investment Company Limited (POIC) on Thursday to discuss ways for expanding business collaborations and enhancing investment and trade flows between the two brotherly countries. The meeting was also attended by Nauman Ansari, Managing Director of POIC, and senior officials from POIC and the Finance Division. During the meeting, the minister highlighted the significant strides achieved in recent months to stabilize the economy and put it on a sustainable path of growth. He also mentioned the improvements registered in several macro and micro-economic indicators of the economy as well as a host of structural reforms undertaken in various sectors of the economy, including energy, taxation, privatization, and downsizing of government to let the private sector lead the growth with the government playing the role of a facilitator, in the process. He said that the government, under Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, is determined to push ahead with its reform agenda and there was a consensus at the highest level to ensure continuity and certainty of policies to facilitate the private sector, promote businesses, and provide a secure and friendly investment climate. The POIC chairman lauded the initiatives taken by the Government of Pakistan to stabilize the economy. He expressed his deeply ingrained love for Pakistan, and that the Government of Oman and its businessmen also viewed Pakistan as a brotherly country and a potential place for business and investment. He expressed hope that due to the opening up of more investment opportunities in Pakistan in the wake of ongoing economic reforms, there would be more business collaborations.