Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal chaired a special meeting on the alignment of sectoral priorities, plans, and interventions with URAAN Pakistan here in Islamabad on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by Chief Economist Planning Commission Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed, Project Director URAAN Pakistan Ms. Irma Malik, Members of the Planning Commission, and senior officials from federal and provincial ministries.
In his opening remarks, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal paid rich tribute to the timely, effective, and courageous response of the Pakistan Air Force against Indian aggression. He stated that Pakistan’s aircraft are not merely machines—they symbolize national dignity, pride, and an unwavering commitment to the defense of the motherland. He asserted that a nation that knows how to defend its territory can never be defeated by any enemy. The minister further highlighted that the brave air warriors of the Pakistan Air Force downed five Indian jets in a swift counter-operation, sending a strong message that the Pakistani nation remains vigilant and fully capable of responding decisively to any hostile intent. By delivering a robust and fitting reply, the Pakistan Armed Forces demonstrated to the world the consequences that await those who cast an evil eye on Pakistan. “I am confident,” the minister added, “that after this, India will think ten times before repeating such aggression. However, this act of hostility will not deter us from our real agenda—Pakistan’s economic development.”
He emphasized that true national security today is directly linked with economic strength. Until Pakistan becomes economically strong, it cannot ensure a prosperous future for its people. “We must realize,” he said, “that if we want to achieve our development goals and make Pakistan a developed nation, we must break away from the mindset of ‘business as usual.’ Business as usual will not allow us to fully utilize our national potential. We need to move forward with a bold, future-oriented approach.”
The Federal Minister noted that in the past year, Pakistan has successfully turned its economy around and is now ready for a new take-off. “The question we must now ask ourselves,” he said, “is whether this take-off will be sustainable or will it be like past attempts—short-lived and unsteady?” Reflecting on past national plans like Vision 2010 and Vision 2025, Ahsan Iqbal acknowledged that they could not achieve their full potential due to lack of continuity and political stability. “However,” he pointed out, “even if there is policy continuity, our development model is outdated. The world has changed, and we must evolve accordingly.”
He stressed that the modern era is driven by artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technology, and Pakistan must align itself with this global pace. “Look at our public offices and schools—very little has changed. The world has advanced rapidly, yet these two sectors remain stagnant. We must embrace change step by step, as this is now an urgent national requirement.” This, he said, is the core philosophy behind the ‘URAAN Pakistan’ initiative—to put Pakistan on a transformational path. By unlocking our full potential and driving growth, Pakistan can become a $1 trillion economy by 2025. But if we continue with the same pace and mindset, growing only at 4% annually, we will only reach $500 billion by 2035.
He concluded by stating that transformational change is needed in every institution. “URAAN Pakistan is not just a program—it is a national transformational plan that calls upon every sector to design and implement bold strategies for high-speed and sustainable growth.” He also added that the 5Es of URAAN Pakistan reflect the five major weaknesses of our economy, and addressing them is key to achieving long-term national prosperity. He said that “Pakistan has long relied on consumption and imports. Now is the time to shift towards growth driven by exports,” he stressed. He emphasized that growth must be inclusive, ensuring equity and poverty alleviation through job creation and youth development. URAAN Pakistan, he said, prioritizes skills training and workforce development to meet the demands of an evolving industrial landscape.
“Nations that embrace technology leapfrog stages of development. Those that resist are left behind. Digitalization is not just about apps and portals—it’s about dismantling red tape and building responsive, intelligent systems,” he remarked. Ahsan Iqbal described the emergence of “e-Pakistan” as a new pillar of the country’s transformation strategy, focused on reimagining the national economic model through digital ecosystems in fintech, agritech, and greentech – all designed to generate jobs and attract investment. He said policies were being shaped to position Pakistan as a regional IT hub, supporting artificial intelligence labs, digital finance, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure. “Pakistan’s future economic resilience depends on climate-smart planning,” he added.
The Minister emphasized improved stakeholder coordination and management, a deeper understanding of URAAN Pakistan among line ministry partners, identification of targeted policy interventions for localized implementation, development and oversight of a monitoring framework, and a comprehensive document on early priorities and opportunities. He added that gaps must be identified to implement URAAN Pakistan effectively. The Minister directed the relevant authorities and ministries to align their projects with URAAN Pakistan’s strategic goals and actively participate in the monitoring, reporting, and evaluation process. He also directed the relevant authorities to conduct quarterly meetings to review the performance and targets of the implementation plans and goals of the URAAN Pakistan programme.
The Project Director Ms. Irma briefly discussed the agenda of the meeting with the participants, which was to review, identify, and plug gaps in sectoral policies, plans, and interventions in light of URAAN Pakistan. The objective is to revamp effective and high-productivity sectoral transformation plans for the National Economic Transformation, to develop a robust KPI framework for efficient monitoring and evaluation, to build a common understanding of the URAAN Pakistan Programme among focal persons, to enhance the capacity of line ministries on the URAAN Pakistan implementation framework, and to improve coordination mechanisms for the implementation of development programmes. Furthermore, the meeting aimed to ensure that PSDPs and ADPs are aligned with URAAN goals and to identify early harvest and high-impact projects within each sector.
