Pakistan, AIIB discuss railways, digital infrastructure and long-term financing cooperation

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb held separate meetings with Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) President Zou Jiayi during her visit to Pakistan, with discussions focusing on infrastructure financing, regional connectivity, digital transformation and long-term economic cooperation.

During a meeting at the Prime Minister’s House, Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan valued its partnership with AIIB as one of the founding members of the multilateral institution and appreciated the bank’s continued support for the country’s socio-economic development agenda.

Welcoming the AIIB president on her first visit to Pakistan since assuming office, the prime minister highlighted the government’s priorities for sustainable and inclusive economic growth and identified railways, agriculture, agro-based industries, renewable energy, regional connectivity, information technology and artificial intelligence as key areas for future cooperation.

The prime minister said the government was pursuing policy reforms aimed at economic stability, long-term development and improving the investment climate, adding that partnerships with multilateral financial institutions such as AIIB remained important for achieving these objectives.

He also expressed hope that the visit of the AIIB delegation would further strengthen cooperation between Pakistan and the bank.

AIIB President Zou Jiayi thanked the government and people of Pakistan for the hospitality extended to the delegation and recalled Pakistan’s role during the establishment of the bank.

She acknowledged Pakistan’s contributions during AIIB’s formative phase and appreciated the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while expressing the bank’s interest in supporting Pakistan through programmatic cooperation in strategic sectors.

According to the statement, the AIIB president highlighted the bank’s interest in expanding collaboration in railways, roads, regional and cross-border connectivity, digital infrastructure, information technology, artificial intelligence and urban and rural development projects.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation to support sustainable development, regional integration and economic growth.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Power Minister Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani and senior officials also attended the meeting.

Separately, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met the AIIB delegation at the Finance Division to discuss infrastructure financing, economic reforms and development cooperation.

During the meeting, the finance minister appreciated AIIB’s role in supporting Pakistan’s infrastructure development and acknowledged the bank’s contribution to the successful issuance of Pakistan’s PANDA Bond through AIIB-backed guarantee arrangements.

Muhammad Aurangzeb said the transaction reflected improving investor confidence in Pakistan’s economic outlook and reform programme.

The AIIB president congratulated Pakistan on the PANDA Bond issuance and described it as an example of how multilateral institutions could help member countries diversify financing sources and strengthen financial capacity.

The finance minister said Pakistan’s macroeconomic indicators had improved over the past year due to stabilisation measures and structural reforms, citing progress in inflation control, fiscal management, external sector stability and market confidence.

Both sides reviewed Pakistan’s current and future investment portfolio, focusing on transport connectivity, energy transition, water management, climate-resilient infrastructure and digital connectivity.

The discussions also covered development of a structured multi-year financing pipeline aligned with Pakistan’s economic priorities, alongside project implementation, institutional capacity building and mobilisation of long-term financing.

The finance minister also briefed the delegation on reforms related to taxation, state-owned enterprises, energy sector restructuring and governance improvements.

The AIIB delegation included Konstantin Limitovskiy, Yong Zhou, Xiaohong Yang, Martin Naegele, Asad Zafar, Afsona-Bonu Mansurova, Yibo Zhao and Tahir Sheikh.