ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb held high-level meetings with Saudi and World Bank officials on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference 2026, focusing on investment follow-ups, technology cooperation and long-term development support.

According to a finance ministry statement, Aurangzeb met Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim to review progress on Saudi investment commitments in Pakistan and broader bilateral economic cooperation.

The AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies will be held on February 8–9, 2026, at Maraya Hall in AlUla.

The annual forum is organized by Saudi Arabia’s finance ministry in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund’s regional office in Riyadh, and brings together finance ministers, central bank governors, policymakers and international institutions from emerging economies.

The engagements come as Pakistan seeks to deepen economic partnerships with key regional and multilateral partners, using the AlUla Conference as a platform to advance investment, trade and development priorities.

During the meeting, the Saudi minister praised Pakistan’s growing technology sector. He “highly appreciated the quality of artificial intelligence and technology talent being produced by Pakistan,” noting that it ranks “among the top one or two globally,” the statement said.

Alibrahim also expressed Saudi Arabia’s “keen interest in leveraging Pakistani tech professionals” to support the Kingdom’s ongoing technological transformation.

Aurangzeb said Pakistan is working to formalize overseas employment pathways, sharing that the country is creating “a structured pipeline of skilled human resources for key international markets, including Saudi Arabia,” aimed at generating “mutual economic benefits.”

The two sides also discussed progress on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement, with emphasis on boosting trade and economic exchanges.

Aurangzeb assured that “dedicated Pakistani teams are actively leading the process to finalize Saudi Arabia’s investment commitments in Pakistan,” and thanked the Saudi government for hosting what he described as a “strategically significant conference.”

Separately, the finance minister met World Bank Group Managing Director Anna Bjerde to review Pakistan’s reform and development agenda.

According to the finance ministry, the meeting assessed progress under Pakistan’s Country Partnership Framework and followed up on the recent visit of the World Bank president to Pakistan.

Discussions covered priority sectors including energy, education, health, climate resilience, infrastructure, fiscal reforms and debt-for-development swaps.

Both sides stressed the need for “a more focused approach, clear performance trackers, and robust implementation” to ensure measurable outcomes.

Tech Cooperation

At AlUla Conference, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia advance investment and tech cooperation