Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb conferred Nishan-i-Imtiaz

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb has been conferred the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Order of Excellence), Pakistan’s “highest civilian award”, in recognition of his “distinguished public service”, according to a Finance Division statement on Saturday.

The award was announced on Independence Day, August 14 2026, with the investiture ceremony to be held on Pakistan Day, March 23 2027, the statement said.

“The national honour recognizes his leadership and contribution to Pakistan’s economic reform journey, including efforts to strengthen macroeconomic stability, restore confidence, and advance reforms for a stronger, more resilient, and prosperous Pakistan,” it read.

Muhammad Aurangzeb, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HBL, took over responsibility as Finance Minister of Pakistan in March 2024.

As per information available on HBL’s website, Muhammad Aurangzeb joined the bank in April 2018 as the president and CEO.

Before this responsibility at HBL, Aurangzeb was the CEO of JP Morgan’s Global Corporate Bank based in Asia, with a rich international banking experience of over 30 years in other senior management roles at ABN AMRO and RBS based in Amsterdam and Singapore.

The Pakistan Business Council (PBC) hailed the announcement of Nishan-i-Imtiaz for Aurangzeb.

“This extraordinary achievement is a result of his hard work, his vision and his patriotism. We look forward to further working with him to make Pakistan even stronger and more prosperous,” the PBC said in a statement.

In his Independence Day message, the finance minister said macroeconomic stability had taken hold, reforms had moved from intent to implementation, while fiscal and external fundamentals were strengthening and economic and investor confidence was rising.

“Stability is now the foundation,” Aurangzeb said, adding that the country was embarking on a new chapter focused on accelerating growth, attracting investment, expanding exports, creating jobs and opening greater opportunities for the people.