Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan has added more than one million new taxpayers to the system. He also highlighted a strong increase in foreign exchange reserves. He was speaking at the launch of economic governance reforms in Islamabad.
Addressing the ceremony with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, the prime minister said the economy faced severe challenges when his government took office. He added that reforms were difficult but unavoidable. Despite obstacles, the government steered the economy toward stability.
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Shehbaz Sharif said inflation had dropped sharply over the past two years. He noted it declined from around 29 percent to nearly 4.5 percent. Meanwhile, Pakistan experienced improved economic growth during this period.
He said foreign exchange reserves rose from $9.2 billion to over $21.2 billion. The current account deficit of $3.3 billion turned into a $1.9 billion surplus. Moreover, the tax-to-GDP ratio increased from about 8 percent to over 10 percent.
The prime minister said tax revenues grew by 26 percent in 2025. He added that PIA and First Women Bank were successfully privatised. Finally, he said global credit rating agencies praised Pakistan’s reforms and economic improvement.