Islamabad: A meeting was held on Monday at the Finance Division between Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb and a visiting delegation from Afiniti, a leading AI technology firm. The delegation was led by Jerome Vaughan Kapelus, CEO of Afiniti Software Solutions Pvt Ltd, and included Wedley Howard Fink, CFO of Afiniti, Osman Asghar Khan, MD and GM of Afiniti Pakistan, and Fakhar Ejaz, Senior Vice President of Global HR at Afiniti. The meeting focused on discussions regarding Afiniti's expanding business operations in Pakistan, the recruitment of talent, and associated issues related to the taxation structure.
Jerome Vaughan Kapelus shared details about Afiniti's operations, noting that nearly 80 percent of its operational support team is based in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. He highlighted the company's growth over the years, with its customer base now spanning North America, Europe, and other regions globally. Jerome Vaughan Kapelus also spoke highly of the talent pool in Pakistan, particularly engineers, computer scientists, and technologists, expressing that Afiniti's experience in recruiting high-quality human resources in the country had been exceptional. He emphasized that Afiniti was 'thrilled' with the caliber of talent available in Pakistan, which has contributed significantly to the company's success.
Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb welcomed the delegation and expressed his appreciation for Afiniti's growth and its continued investment in Pakistan. He noted that information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services, along with agriculture, represent major growth sectors for Pakistan, with the unique advantage that much of the input for these sectors remains local. He assured the delegation that the government is committed to creating an enabling ecosystem for both IT and agriculture to thrive. The Finance Minister briefed the delegation on a range of taxation reforms aimed at modernizing the tax system through the use of people-processed technology and end-to-end digitalization. He stressed the government's goal of broadening the tax base, including bringing previously non-compliant sectors into the tax net. This, he explained, would provide greater space for sectors that are over-taxed, such as the salaried class and manufacturing sectors.
Additionally, Minister Aurangzeb provided an update on the government's efforts to simplify the tax return process. He highlighted the reduction in the number of fields in the tax return forms for the salaried class, which is expected to encourage greater participation in the tax system. The Minister mentioned that the new simplified tax return system would be operational by September, ahead of the next tax filing season. The Minister also briefed the delegation about the launch of the Pakistan Crypto Council, a new initiative aimed at regulating and integrating blockchain technology and digital assets into the country's financial landscape. This initiative, he explained, will help Pakistan keep pace with global trends in digital finance and provide a regulatory framework for emerging technologies. The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of the government's commitment to supporting businesses like Afiniti, and the importance of continued collaboration between the public and private sectors to foster growth and development in Pakistan.
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, on Monday attended a meeting to review the ongoing development of the National Health and Population Policy (NHPP) for the period 2025-34. The meeting by senior officers from the Ministry of Finance as well as a three-member NHPP team, led by Dr. Sameen Siddiqi, Professor at Aga Khan University and NHPP Team Lead, along with Health Systems Specialist Dr. Tayyeb Masud and Public Health Expert and Coordinator NHPP Dr. Noor ul Huda Shah .
During the meeting, the NHPP team provided an update on the formulation of the policy, which is set to guide the country's health and population strategies for the next decade. The team emphasized that the policy is being developed with a focus on evidence-based decision-making and prioritizing critical health issues, all within the context of the fiscal constraints resulting from Pakistan's current macroeconomic situation. The NHPP team outlined the broader goals of the policy, which include reorganizing and restructuring the existing health infrastructure, addressing the challenges posed by high population growth, integrating health and population strategies, and leveraging political capital to increase public sector financing for the health sector.
These efforts are aimed at creating a health system that works efficiently and effectively to meet the needs of a growing population, particularly the most vulnerable sectors of society. In addition, the team presented a series of proposals and recommendations designed to help achieve the goals of the NHPP. These proposals focused on strengthening health systems, improving resource allocation, and ensuring that critical health services reach all segments of the population, particularly those most in need.
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb commended the team for their hard work and the progress made thus far on the NHPP. He urged the team to formally submit their recommendations and proposals to the Ministry of Finance for further review and action. In his remarks, the Finance Minister acknowledged the significant challenges posed by climate change, rapid population growth, and associated issues such as child stunting and learning poverty. He also highlighted the recent signing of a 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) with the World Bank, which includes a $20 billion commitment to focus on key development areas, including health, education, climate resilience, and sustainable growth.
Minister Aurangzeb further noted that while Pakistan faces the challenge of a rapidly growing population, the use of population as a criterion for the distribution of resources must be examined holistically. He emphasized that the policy should align with best international practices and benchmarks to ensure an equitable and effective approach to resource allocation. The meeting concluded with a commitment to continue working closely on the development of the NHPP, with the goal of addressing Pakistan's health and population challenges in a sustainable and impactful manner.