American Business Forum (ABF)-Lums Thought Leadership Session Event
American Business Forum in collaboration with LUMS hosted a Thought Leadership Session titled “From Stabilisation to Growth,
Pakistan’s Long Term Reform Agenda” bringing together voices from government, central banking, industry and fintech to discuss how Pakistan can build on its hardwon economic stability.
The session was attended by ABF members, along with senior business leaders, policymakers and members of the LUMS community.
The session opened with a welcome address by Osman Khalid Waheed, President of ABF, who set the context for a forward looking discussion on the country’s economic future.
Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, noted that Pakistan must move away from consumption led growth and focus on private sector investment, export-led growth and structural retorms in taxation, privatisation, debt management and tariffs. He pointed to a few difficult reforms the government has already undertaken, including pension reform and structured tariff reduction.
Dr. Reza Baqir, former Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, emphasized that exchange rate adjustments alone cannot drive sustained export growth without investment in productive capacity.
Salman Burney, Vice Chairman of Habib Group, urged the Government to focus on removing policy uncertainty and removing regulatory noise. He said that Deregulation coupled with rational oversight will automatically encourage sectors where Pakistan holds a competitive advantage to grow, while Halima lqbal, Founder and CEO of Oraan, underscored women’s economic participation as a key driver of long term growth.
The discussion was moderated by Dr. Ali Hasanain, Associate Professor of Economics at LUMS, who made the case for at least 7% annual growth supported by deeper structural reforms.
The key takeaway: Pakistan’s lasting growth will depend on policy consistency, deregulation, investments in enabling more women to participate in the economy, coupled with an export-led strategy.
American Business Forum in collaboration with LUMS hosted a Thought Leadership Session titled “From Stabilisation to Growth,
Pakistan’s Long Term Reform Agenda” bringing together voices from government, central banking, industry and fintech to discuss how Pakistan can build on its hardwon economic stability.
The session was attended by ABF members, along with senior business leaders, policymakers and members of the LUMS community.
The session opened with a welcome address by Osman Khalid Waheed, President of ABF, who set the context for a forward looking discussion on the country’s economic future.
Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, noted that Pakistan must move away from consumption led growth and focus on private sector investment, export-led growth and structural retorms in taxation, privatisation, debt management and tariffs. He pointed to a few difficult reforms the government has already undertaken, including pension reform and structured tariff reduction.
Dr. Reza Baqir, former Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, emphasized that exchange rate adjustments alone cannot drive sustained export growth without investment in productive capacity.
Salman Burney, Vice Chairman of Habib Group, urged the Government to focus on removing policy uncertainty and removing regulatory noise. He said that Deregulation coupled with rational oversight will automatically encourage sectors where Pakistan holds a competitive advantage to grow, while Halima lqbal, Founder and CEO of Oraan, underscored women’s economic participation as a key driver of long term growth.
The discussion was moderated by Dr. Ali Hasanain, Associate Professor of Economics at LUMS, who made the case for at least 7% annual growth supported by deeper structural reforms.
The key takeaway: Pakistan’s lasting growth will depend on policy consistency, deregulation, investments in enabling more women to participate in the economy, coupled with an export-led strategy.
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