A meeting of the Committee for Pakistan’s Engagement with the World Economic Forum (WEF) was held Tuesday at the Finance Division under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Federal Minister for Climate Change Dr. Musadik Malik (virtually), SAPM for Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani and senior officials from the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), Board of Investment (BOI), National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), and Mr. Musharraf Zaidi, Chief Coordinator to the Prime Minister, said a release issued here on Tuesday.
The Chair outlined the objectives of the meeting and the Committee constituted by the Prime Minister last week, for shaping a coherent national strategy for enhancing Pakistan’s engagement with WEF to secure opportunities for investment, innovation, and inclusive economic growth.
The participants shared ideas and discussed strategies to strengthen Pakistan’s leadership role at the WEF, with a special focus on creating direct engagement channels that yield tangible benefits for the people of Pakistan-particularly women, youth, and the business community.
The deliberations emphasized compiling a comprehensive list of all ongoing WEF initiatives in Pakistan, assessing their progress, and identifying execution gaps.
The Committee also explored avenues for cooperation with WEF in priority areas such as investment and economic growth, digitalization and emerging technologies including AI, skills development and productive employment, and climate change.
A key focus remained on ensuring Pakistan’s greater participation in the “future of jobs” discourse and promoting increased female labor force participation.
Additionally, the Committee discussed measures to improve Pakistan’s standing in the Global Gender Gap Index.
The Chair thanked the participants for their valued inputs and hoped the Committee’s deliberations would help adopt a structured, coordinated approach to Pakistan’s future engagement with the WEF, reinforcing the government’s commitment to positioning the country as an active, forward-looking partner in shaping the global economic agenda.
Separately, Minister of Finance, Revenue, and Economic Affairs, Muhammad Aurangzeb, on Tuesday highlighted a key reform introduced by the government in the pension system.
Responding to queries raised by the lawmakers, he stated that the government had implemented a new system aimed at reducing pension liabilities and improving financial stability.
He also highlighted the financial losses incurred by state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the government’s ongoing efforts to address these issues through reforms and privatization.
“The privatization of 24 state-owned enterprises has been handed over to the Privatization Commission. We are working on transferring these entities to the private sector to improve their performance and efficiency,” Aurangzeb said.
He explained that eight among of these entities had already been earmarked for privatization during this fiscal year.
Addressing the governance challenges within these enterprises, the minister pointed out that a new governance framework was being implemented to ensure better management. “The private sector’s involvement can bring fresh perspectives and efficiency,” he noted.
Aurangzeb also praised the public-private partnership model introduced by the Sindh government and noted that such initiatives not only improve service delivery but also enhance the role and effectiveness of the private sector in governance and development.
He said that, while the government was focused on minimizing losses from SOEs, efforts were also underway to ensure that the savings were reinvested in crucial sectors like health, education, and social protection. “If we can redirect these funds into social sectors, it will benefit the public and contribute to long-term economic growth,” he said.
He also stated that he had always been present for meetings and discussions in the Finance Committees of both the Senate and National Assembly. “My accountability lies with these committees, and I have always been ready to answer any questions about the government’s financial policies,” Aurangzeb concluded.
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