• PM pays tribute to security personnel for sacrificing their lives.
• Lauds Turkiye president for supporting Pakistan at all fora.
• “WB directors satisfied with country’s reforms agenda.”

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has linked peace in the country with economic prosperity, which according to him, would move the wheel of progress rapidly.

“For economic stability, a conducive environment was requisite,” the premier said while addressing a meeting of the federal cabinet on Tuesday.

Pakistan, currently bolstered by the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) secured in September 2024, is navigating a tricky path to recovery.

The South Asian nation narrowly averted a sovereign debt default, with reserves not sufficient enough to meet a month’s worth of controlled imports in 2023.

Pakistan is looking to generate revenue by speeding up a privatisation push, but efforts to privatise the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines, and outsource the capital’s airport have fallen flat.

During today’s meeting, PM Shehbaz also paid tribute to the security forces whose officers and personnel were sacrificing their lives for the protection of the country.

He said yesterday, he had attended the funeral of Shaheed Lt Hassan Arshaf in Lahore who laid down his life while fighting against “Fitna al-Khwarij and sending a number of Khwarij [terrorists] to hell.” 

The prime minister reiterated that the complete eradication of terrorism from the country was their mission. 

The country has been reeling under increased terrorist attacks targeting especially the law enforcers and security forces since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank.

Meanwhile, the premier also referred to the recent visit of Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying that the latter had always supported Pakistan at all global fora.

He noted that Pakistan and Turkiye were two brotherly nations and they were committed to taking the bilateral trade volume between the two countries to $5 billion target.

“President Erdogan had been a strong voice for Palestine and Kashmir. Pakistan and Turkiye enjoy brotherly ties and both countries also hold regular consultations and support each other at all fora,” he added. 

The prime minister said that a number of MoUs were also signed during the Turkish president’s visit and urged the Ministry of Commerce and other relevant ministries to work jointly for the achievement of a bilateral trade target of $5 billion. 

He said that a flyover which was completed in 84 days in Islamabad was named after President Tayyip Erdogan as a sign of affection by the people of Pakistan.

The prime minister also welcomed a recent Gallop’s survey, according to which about 55% of people had reposed confidence in the government’s pro-business policies. 

However, he stressed that they had to move forward and work hard to accomplish the economic agenda and its key components including Uraan Pakistan. 

The prime minister, about his meeting with a delegation of World Bank directors, said that they had unanimously expressed their satisfaction over the reforms agenda and the macro-economic stability. 

They had praised the government and its credit went to every member of the cabinet, he added.