| Shaukat Azia receives his award from Euromoney's editor |
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At a gala dinner in Karachi in January Euromoney finally managed to present the finance minister of the year award for 2001 to Pakistan's Shaukat Aziz.
Usually the presentation takes place at the annual IMF/World Bank meetings, which were cancelled in the wake of the terrorist attacks in the US. Catching up with Aziz hasn't been easy. Since winning the award in recognition of his efforts to institute economic reform in Pakistan - cutting budget deficits, improving tax collection, strengthening the banking system, liberalizing foreign exchange controls, boosting exports, rebuilding foreign currency reserves, re-establishing relations with the multilaterals, pushing forward privatization - Aziz's schedule has become even more hectic.
He clinched a key poverty reduction and growth facility from the IMF in December, followed by a comprehensive renegotiation of Paris Club debts.