The COVID-19 pandemic has been a blow to Pakistan’s economy, which had already slowed down considerably after experiencing a twin-deficit crisis in 2018. The impact of the pandemic prompted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government to roll out a massive stimulus, seek international debt relief, and suspend the IMF program. In the last few weeks, the economy has started to recover, and the country is set to restart the suspended IMF program in the coming days. Additionally, with the new Biden administration, Pakistan is seeking to redefine its bilateral relationship with the United States on geoeconomics terms, as it attempts to shrug off the pandemic’s debilitating economic effects.

On April 6, USIP hosted a discussion that assessed the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Pakistani economy, explored the outlook for reforms, and surveyed how international investors, especially U.S. companies, view the Pakistani economy and investment prospects.

Continue the conversation on Twitter with #EconOutlookPK.

Speakers

Khurram Husain
Economic writer, Dawn

Safiya Ghori-Ahmed
Director, McLarty Associates

Naila Naqvi
CEO, Pie in the Sky

Uzair Younus, moderator
Visiting Senior Policy Analyst, South Asia Program, U.S. Institute of Peace

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