Overview
- On Thursday Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb used a REIT listing ceremony to declare a public pivot from short-term stabilisation toward private-sector-led, export-focused growth.
- Officials cited a $3 billion Eurobond that drew strong demand, State Bank reserves rising to about $21–22 billion, and tax filers jumping to more than 5.7 million as key signals of renewed external liquidity and investor confidence.
- The finance minister set out six priorities that centre on permanent macroeconomic stability, shifting growth to productivity and exports, expanding access to finance for SMEs and housing, and sustained structural reform implementation.
- The government reported roughly Rs60 billion already disbursed under the Apna Ghar housing scheme and banks’ approval of about Rs340 billion more, while urging faster housing supply and using REITs to channel private and diaspora savings into construction.
- Officials warned against a consumption-driven growth push that could widen external imbalances, and they noted ongoing IMF engagement plus recent sovereign rating upgrades as the backdrop for cautious, reform-led expansion.