ISLAMABAD (The COW News Digital) Pakistan’s Finance Minister, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, warned that ongoing political strikes, long marches, and sit-ins could inflict a staggering daily loss of Rs120 billion on the national economy, threatening the country’s fragile transition toward sustained growth.
Speaking to the media, the Finance Minister underscored that Pakistan is currently moving from stabilization toward long-term economic expansion. He highlighted key macroeconomic indicators, noting that foreign exchange reserves have hit record levels, the current account remains in surplus, and overseas worker remittances continue to surge steadily.
However, Aurangzeb cautioned that domestic political disruption risks undoing these gains through self-inflicted disruption. Providing a detailed breakdown of the potential daily economic toll, he stated that the services sector faces an estimated Rs86 billion loss per day, followed by a Rs25 billion daily hit to the industrial sector, and an additional Rs17 billion loss in direct government revenues.
Addressing broader geopolitical headwinds, the Finance Minister acknowledged that escalation in the Middle East poses serious challenges to global trade through supply chain disruptions, elevated freight charges, and rising insurance costs. In light of these international pressures, he asserted that launching domestic strikes and marches remains counterproductive to national interests.
Aurangzeb concluded his press conference by emphasizing that hostile forces remain behind ongoing security challenges in the country, urging political stakeholders to prioritize economic stability over confrontation.
