‘Impact and Accountability’: Shehbaz Offers Global Consultants a Reform Partnership
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said Pakistan is ready to work with international consulting firms to strengthen economic growth, but only on terms that deliver measurable results. The Shehbaz Sharif consultants offer came during a meeting with Peter Briggs, Managing Director of North American Operations at Alvarez and Marsal, in Islamabad on Friday.
The prime minister said Pakistan wanted “a productive and meaningful partnership with international consulting firms to strengthen economic growth, while ensuring impact and accountability at their end”. The message was clear: foreign expertise is welcome, but it must translate into outcomes.
Reforms after stability
Shehbaz told Briggs that after achieving economic and fiscal stability, the government was introducing deep-rooted structural and economic reforms aimed at export-led growth and a productive economy. The agenda includes improving domestic manufacturing performance and efficiency, and attracting foreign direct investment.
He said the government was pursuing an active strategy to assess the economic viability of state-owned enterprises and pursue privatisation. “The government is cognisant of the vital importance to have a team of experts and professionally qualified workforce to improve the economic growth engine,” he added.
The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Power Minister Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, and Special Assistant to the PM Syed Tariq Fatemi.
Why the Shehbaz Sharif consultants meeting matters now
The outreach to Alvarez and Marsal fits a pattern. In recent weeks the prime minister has repeatedly tied Pakistan’s recovery to export-led growth, telling business leaders that the economy must shift from consumption to production. His earlier push for export-led growth laid out the same direction, and the consultancy partnership looks like an attempt to bring outside rigour to that plan.
The privatisation angle is equally significant. Loss-making state enterprises have weighed on the budget for years, and the government has promised investors a credible programme to fix or sell them. Bringing in a firm known for restructuring work signals that the pledge is moving from rhetoric to execution.
Shehbaz has made similar reform pitches on other fronts, from railway restructuring under ML-1 to his counterterrorism coordination meetings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The consultancy meeting shows the economic track of that same governing style: set a target, bring in experts, and demand results.
What happens next
No agreement with Alvarez and Marsal was announced on Friday. The meeting appeared to be an opening pitch rather than a signed deal, and any formal engagement would likely follow through the Economic Affairs Division.
The real test will be the accountability standard Shehbaz set. International consultants have advised Pakistani governments before, often at considerable cost, with mixed results. If this partnership materialises, the prime minister’s own words will be the yardstick: impact, and accountability.
FAQ
Who is Alvarez and Marsal?
Alvarez and Marsal is an international consulting firm known for restructuring and performance-improvement work. Peter Briggs heads its North American operations.
What did Shehbaz Sharif ask from the consultants?
He offered partnerships to strengthen economic growth, but insisted on “impact and accountability” from the firms involved.
Which reforms did the PM mention?
Deep-rooted structural and economic reforms aimed at export-led growth, better manufacturing performance, more foreign investment, and privatisation of state-owned enterprises.
