Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has left for the United States to participate in the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the finance ministry said on Saturday.
The visit comes as Islamabad continues negotiations with the IMF for an early staff-level agreement under its ongoing loan programme.
The global lender earlier this week said both sides had made “significant progress” towards finalising the deal.
A day earlier, the finance czar had expressed optimism that the SLA with the global lender would be finalised during his visit to Washington.
During his six-day visit, Aurangzeb is scheduled to hold meetings with senior officials of the IMF, World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the finance ministry said.
He will also meet World Bank President Ajay Banga in a one-on-one meeting and attend a dinner hosted by Banga for finance ministers of selected countries.
The minister is also scheduled to meet IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva at the platforms of the G24 and MENAP (Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan) countries, where he will deliver a keynote address.
The finance czar will participate in a regional roundtable organised by the World Bank on the digital transformation of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), which will also be attended by tax authorities from other countries.
He will also take part in two major events hosted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from China, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Azerbaijan.
The finance minister’s schedule also includes meetings with top White House officials, and senior officials from the US Departments of State and Treasury and the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
He will engage with office bearers and members of the US-Pakistan Business Council to discuss tax proposals and investment opportunities in Pakistan.
“During the visit, the minister will also meet with representatives of global credit rating agencies, commercial banks, particularly investment banks from the Middle East, and address various investment forums and seminars to highlight Pakistan’s economic outlook,” the ministry said.
“The finance minister will visit leading US think tanks, including the Atlantic Council and the Peterson Institute of International Economics (PIIE),” it added.
The ministry said that FinMin will also give interviews to selected international and American media outlets during his visit, which includes over 65 events, forums, meetings, and official engagements.
