The U.S. Embassy Islamabad strengthened economic ties at the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN) Economic Policy Challenge, a two-day, case-based competition. Teams of experts sought to answer the question:
How can Pakistan build a more competitive, prosperous, and globally integrated economy?
The event brought together 70 alumni participants from across Pakistan, as well as six others who traveled from Bangladesh, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka to participate in the challenge. During the competition, alumni teams addressed complex economic policy challenges, such as attracting U.S. investment, improving Pakistan’s global brand, global capital allocation, securing an affordable energy future, rationalizing the tax system, and strengthening institutional safeguards for foreign investment. Participants presented their recommendations to a panel of senior stakeholders.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, U.S. Embassy Islamabad’s Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim Andy Halus, said the inaugural challenge enabled participants to develop practical recommendations for building “a more competitive, mutually prosperous, and globally integrated” Pakistani economy. Chargé Halus said:
Over the past 250 years since its founding, the United States has fostered a spirit of innovation. Today, I saw how the participants embraced that to address their own economic issues in Pakistan. We are proud of how the core values of the United States influence the future for the better.
He noted the Freedom 250 celebrations of the United States’ founding are taking place throughout 2026 to celebrate ideas and ingenuity that shaped the United States.
He emphasized the relationships developed through the program constituted an essential part of its value, connecting PUAN alumni with fellow alumni, industry experts, and American companies. He encouraged participants to maintain these connections and turn them into mutually beneficial partnerships. The Chargé said:
Bilateral trade between our countries reached over $10 billion last year, and the United States remains Pakistan’s largest single-country export market.
He added the recommendations developed during the challenge demonstrated how these U.S. program alumni could come together to brainstorm reforms in Pakistan’s business climate that would increase access for American firms and related investment opportunities.
Chargé Halus also thanked the organizations and teams that helped organize the event, including Accountability Lab Pakistan and the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan.
