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Pakistan, UK Reaffirm Reform Partnership With Focus on Tax, Debt and Digital Governance

London pledged support to help deliver IMF‑aligned reforms through technical, regulatory and digital tools.

Overview

  • Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met UK Minister for Development Baroness Chapman in Islamabad for the first federal‑level development talks in eight years, with British High Commissioner Jane Marriott in attendance.
  • Pakistan detailed a fiscal stabilisation plan centred on widening the tax base, tightening debt management, restructuring state‑owned enterprises, advancing privatisation and pension reform, and fixing energy‑sector losses.
  • Officials highlighted digitalisation to curb revenue leakages and improve transparency as a core plank of tax administration and public finance reforms.
  • The UK reaffirmed readiness to provide technical assistance, regulatory support and capacity‑building to improve governance, transparency and the business environment, while launching regulatory reforms with the prime minister and a new Green Compact on climate collaboration.
  • Both sides agreed to coordinate closely with IMF and World Bank‑supported programmes, with Pakistan noting UK backing at the IMF that facilitated successful programme reviews.