Standard and Poor has revised Pakistan’s long-term credit rating from B negative to B today and said that country’s better policy making has impacted national economy’s performance and growth positively.
S&P said that Pakistan’s democratically elected government has helped country’s economic stability, thanks to reform program that government initiated.
It affirmed the ‘B’ short-term rating and said the outlook on the long-term rating was stable.
Agency, on other hands, warned that Pakistan’s structural weaknesses continue to exist, such as narrow tax base and security risks, which must be fixed for long-term stability.
It said that current infrastructure and taxing regime has effected negatively on the business climate.
S&P Forecast:
“Notwithstanding the recent terrorist attacks in Quetta, however, we see even these structural weaknesses as having improved over the past few years. Combined, these factors motivated the upgrade,” it said in a statement.
The agency forecasts average annual GDP growth to 5.5 per cent in the next three years from the current growth rate of 4.7 per cent.
“This revision reflects improved construction and services sector activity, low-cost oil and finance, and high investment associated with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)”, concluded the report.