ISLAMABAD: Appre­ciating the growing interest of the UAE investors in Pakistan’s digital economy, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that the government is giving special importance to business-to-business (B2B) cooperation in the fields of information technology, digital innovation, blockchain, and other emerging technologies.

The prime minister, in a meeting with a delegation of the UAE’s Sajwani Group, said that the recent high-level contacts and exchanges had increased mutual trust between the private sectors and investors of Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, providing a strong foundation for advancing bilateral cooperation.

He said that the deep, fraternal and longstanding Pakistan-UAE relations were based on mutual trust, which were heading towards more effective economic cooperation and investment.

The premier vie­wed that the recent visit of the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to Pakistan had further strengthened the bilateral partnership, also creating a conducive environment for promoting cooperation.

He said that the UAE’s in­­vestment and global con­­nectivity, combined with Pakistan’s human resour­c­­es and workforce, repres­e­n­­ted a highly beneficial partnership for economic growth.

PC as apex forum

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday stressed that the Planning Commission (PC) should act as the central clearinghouse for econo­m­­ic decisions, providing guidance to ministries and divisions to maintain policy consistency and development planning, while supporting sustainable reforms to strengthen Pakistan’s economic governance.

Chairing a meeting on economic reforms, Mr Dar highlighted the historic and central role of the PC in economic and development policy-making, said a news release.

He emphasised the need to empower PC to drive strategic policy, give priorities, and oversee public investment effectively.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2026