Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb described Pakistan-UAE relations as “longstanding and strategic” during a meeting with a delegation from International Foodstuffs Company (IFFCO) in Islamabad on September 14, 2026.

The Meeting

The IFFCO delegation was led by Global Group Director Abdelghani Abdullah and CEO Arshaduddin Ahmed. Discussions centered on IFFCO’s expansion plans in Pakistan and the company’s ongoing contribution to the country’s food and manufacturing sectors.

IFFCO’s Footprint in Pakistan

IFFCO has invested approximately $100 million in Pakistan since 2006 and currently operates across 50 countries worldwide. Within Pakistan, the company runs two oil and fats refineries, five manufacturing sites, along with seed crushing facilities, animal nutrition operations and feed mills. Its business spans food manufacturing, edible oils, fats, confectionery, dairy, agriculture, poultry and animal nutrition, making it one of the more diversified foreign investors in Pakistan’s food sector.

Aurangzeb pledged continued government support for the company’s expansion plans and for local value creation, signaling Islamabad’s interest in retaining and growing existing foreign direct investment rather than only chasing new investors. For its part, the IFFCO delegation reaffirmed its commitment to growing its Pakistani operations further.

Why This Matters

The meeting comes as Pakistan continues efforts to shore up foreign investor confidence amid broader economic stabilization efforts. Long-standing investors like IFFCO, with two decades of continuous operations in the country, represent a different kind of economic signal than fresh investment pledges: their willingness to expand existing operations suggests a degree of confidence in Pakistan’s food and manufacturing sector despite broader macroeconomic headwinds.

With the UAE remaining one of Pakistan’s key economic partners in the Gulf region, continued engagement with established UAE-linked investors like IFFCO is likely to remain a recurring theme in the Finance Ministry’s outreach efforts.

For more on related developments, see our coverage of Pakistan’s economic briefing to Canada and the Rs. 1 trillion in diverted tribal area imports.