LONDON (Kashmir English): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday addressed the London Stock Exchange, becoming the first Pakistani prime minister to open the LSE’s trading session, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
He also formally inaugurated Pakistan’s landmark $3 billion dual-tranche sovereign Eurobond, raised earlier this month.
During his address at the LSE headquarters in Paternoster Square, the prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s immense potential to attract high-yield, safe, and mutually beneficial foreign investment, according to the PMO statement.
He said in recent years, they had worked very hard to strengthen Pakistan’s economy. “As I speak, we have strengthened our macroeconomic indicators, which are very promising and augur well for the future,” he added.
In his remarks, the prime minister further said that “the latest contribution of their finance minister and his team to arrange $3 billion worth of dual-tranche sovereign Eurobond spoke volumes about their hard work, deep-rooted structural changes, the digitization of the economy, and taking all the necessary measures to put their national economy back on track.”
He mentioned the privatization of Pakistan International Airlines and First Women Bank and informed that the government was now moving towards offloading many other state enterprises, stressing that these must be run by the private sector.
PM also suggested that this was an area where Pakistan and the UK could work very closely, the statement added. The prime minister opined that if the Gulf crisis hadn’t erupted, the country would have really taken off.
“It’s really a great pleasure and honour as we inaugurate today’s London Stock Exchange ceremony, which most definitely was not only a very moment of happiness for all of us, but of course rebuilding our wonderful connection with London Stock Exchange.
Pakistan in the recent… pic.twitter.com/Saqvox6fTT
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) September 29, 2026
“Like other emerging economies, we are negotiating this challenge while also playing an important role as a peacemaker, mediating between the United States and Iran. I hope that we will continue in this direction,” he added.
He also commended the efforts of the finance minister and other related economic ministers, secretaries and government officials who had done a remarkable job in rebuilding Pakistan’s economy.
Referring to the Gulf crisis, he emphasized learning new lessons as the investors were now trying to evaluate and assess safer markets.
Addressing the LSEG CEO, the premier said that they would like to seek his guidance and advice on how to further engage international financial markets to play a role in Pakistan, not just in terms of sovereign debt but through very attractive investments.
“The prime minister’s visit to London Stock Exchange underscored Pakistan’s return to global capital markets and reflected renewed international investor confidence in the country’s economic trajectory,” the PMO added.
The ceremony was attended by the CEO of London Stock Exchange Group David Schwimmer, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Advisor on Privatization Mohammad Ali, Pakistan High Commissioner Tipu Usman, members of the Pakistani delegation, and relevant British authorities.
PM Shehbaz also invited David Schwimmer to visit Pakistan, according to the statement.
