Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, held a substantive meeting with Dr. Kalpana Kochhar, President for Global Policy and Advocacy at the Gates Foundation, on the sidelines of the World Bank–IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C.
At the outset, the Finance Minister recalled his earlier engagement with Bill Gates on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, reaffirming the strong partnership between Pakistan and the Gates Foundation.
The Finance Minister affirmed that polio eradication remains a national priority and requires continued systemic support. He briefed Dr. Kochhar on Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to transform the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), with a particular focus on reducing revenue leakages and improving compliance.
He underlined that the Prime Minister is personally chairing the digital transformation programme and holding weekly review meetings. The Finance Minister outlined three key verticals: digitization and financial inclusion led by the Governor, government payments led by the Secretary Finance, and digital infrastructure led by the Secretary IT.
Highlighting reforms within FBR, the Finance Minister referred to the introduction of a digital Compliance Risk Management (CRM) system, AI-led production monitoring across various sectors, behavioral nudges through SMS, and bespoke training programmes for young FBR officers. He emphasized that the Government’s overarching objective is to institutionalize reforms rather than rely on ad hoc measures.
On the issue of polio vaccine financing, the Finance Minister noted that current funding is sufficient only through June–July, raising concerns about a potential disruption. He assured that Pakistan would leverage its strong bilateral relationship with the Islamic Development Bank to help expedite additional support.
Both sides agreed on the importance of continued learning and knowledge exchange as a cornerstone of the partnership.
