Key Points
- Pakistan Finance Minister meets US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick
- Cooperation discussed in the mining, energy and IT sectors
- Emphasis on improving commercial linkages and investment flows
- Meeting held on the sidelines of the IMF–World Bank Spring Meetings 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States of America have agreed to expand economic cooperation, focusing on export-led growth anchored in investment by enhancing private-sector involvement in a high-level meeting in Washington on Wednesday.
Visiting Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb held discussions with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation and expand trade and investment ties. They met on the sidelines of the IMF–World Bank Spring Meetings 2026 in Washington, D.C.
According to an official statement, both sides discussed investment opportunities in Pakistan, particularly in information technology, mining, and digital assets.
Pakistan and the US have also agreed to deepen private-sector engagement to achieve an exportable surplus by increasing industrial and value-added growth.
The discussions covered the follow-up on earlier agreements and memoranda of understanding on cooperation in mining, energy and information technology, with an emphasis on identifying new areas of economic collaboration.
Officials said the talks reflected a shared interest in strengthening commercial relations and improving the enabling environment for bilateral investment. They also pledge to improve the investor facilitation, profit repatriation and a greater ‘ease of doing business’, especially for foreign investors.
The Finance Minister is in Washington to attend the IMF–World Bank Spring Meetings, where Pakistan’s economic reform agenda and external financing strategy are part of engagements with international, bilateral, and multilateral partners.
The meeting comes as Pakistan continues its diplomatic outreach following the most viral Islamabad Talks. Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, hosted direct Iran-US talks after brokering a 15-day ceasefire. Pakistan’s facilitation of peace talks has been widely appreciated, and the country is now attracting investors’ attention afresh.
