The Ministry of Planning & Development will spearhead a decisive reform push in the coming year. Under the URAAN Pakistan framework, 2026 will be declared the Year of Reforms—focused on cutting red tape, eliminating unnecessary regulations, and unleashing private sector enterprise. These reforms will lay the foundation for accelerated growth and put Pakistan firmly on the path to achieving a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2035.
Condition for no NEW IMF program is $63 Billion Exports in 2029!
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Thursday that a new roadmap has been shared with the civil-military leadership to raise Pakistan's exports to $63 billion within four years, stressing that the country cannot end its reliance on foreign creditors without a sustained increase in exports.
https://t.co/qcbgyxX4bD
At URAAN Pakistan Debates 2025, Minister Prof. Ahsan Iqbal inspired the youth with a powerful call to action, motivating them with his personal journey and igniting in them a fire to transform the economic trajectory of the country towards growth and prosperity
#URAANPakistan
Renowned educationist Dr. Arfa Sayeda Zehra passed away in Lahore at the age of 83.
She was deeply affectionate — warm, always generous with her time and wisdom. Her presence lit up every gathering, and her wit left an indelible mark on all who knew her.
Very sad, a towering lady with outstanding intellect, keen sense of fairness and justice.
An old Ravian few years my senior, a great debater, it was treat to listen to her, late Javaid Hassan Aly her younger brother was a great friend.
God bless her soul Ameen
اللّٰہ تعالیٰ ممتاز ماہر تعلیم ڈاکٹر عارفہ سیدہ زہرا کے درجات بلند فرمائے انکا انتقال پوری پاکستانی قوم کے لئے نہیں بلکہ اولڈ راوینز کے لئے بھی بہت بڑا نقصان ہے ہم انکی عالمانہ باتیں سن کر فخر کرتے تھے کہ ہم نے بھی انکی طرح گورنمنٹ کالج یونیورسٹی لاہور سے تعلیم حاصل کی
پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا ماہر تعلیم و لسانیات پروفیسر عارفہ سیدہ زہرا کے انتقال پر تعزیتی پیغام
چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کی معروف ادیبہ اور دانشور پروفیسر عارفہ سیدہ زہرا کے بلندی درجات کے لئے فاتحہ خوانی اور لواحقین کے صبر جمیل کی دعا
پروفیسر عارفہ سیدہ زہرا نے اردو زبان کی تہذیب کو اجاگر کیا، لسانیت پر ان کی تحقیق متاثر کن ہے، چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری
پروفیسر عارفہ سیدہ زہرا نہ صرف اردو زبان و تہذیب کی متحرک ترجمان تھیں بلکہ انہوں نے ثقافتی مکالمے میں اہم کردار ادا کیا، چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری
پروفیسر عارفہ سیدہ زہرا نے اپنی زندگی خواتین کے حقوق اور قومی زبان کے فروغ کے لئے وقف کردی تھی، چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری
@BBhuttoZardari
President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed deep grief over the passing of renowned scholar & intellectual Dr Arfa Sayeda Zehra, calling her demise an irreparable loss to Pakistan’s academic & literary community. He prayed for her soul and offered condolences to the bereaved family.
Iqbal envisioned a moral state grounded in justice and compassion, not a theocracy, but an ethical polity. Pakistan must shift from a control-based colonial administration to a performance-driven, technology-enabled, citizen-centred state. This transformation requires transparent governance, merit-based institutions, data-driven planning, accountability with empowerment and policy continuity.
https://t.co/ao14rNPUfP
The World Bank has noted that “post-2018 multiple shocks, including deterioration in macroeconomic conditions, led to a slight increase in poverty in Pakistan.”
It is important to put this in context. The single biggest shock post-2018 was “Imranomics”—four Finance Ministers in four years, reckless policy experimentation, no vision, and the dismantling of a stable macroeconomic framework. This not only reversed the hard-won economic gains of 2013–2018 but also plunged Pakistan into its worst macroeconomic crisis in decades.
Since 2022, the focus has been on painful but necessary macroeconomic stabilization. The super climate disaster of 2022 further compounded recovery, destroying lives, infrastructure, and livelihoods. Yet despite these hurdles, Pakistan has begun to turn the corner: inflation is moderating, growth prospects are improving, and investor confidence is gradually returning for growth to return.
But we must be candid: poverty cannot be sustainably reduced without addressing deeper structural issues. Chief among these is the weakness in our social sectors. Following the 2010 devolution, provinces have not effectively devolved service delivery to empowered local governments. This has left health, education, and social protection systems over centralised, fragmented and underperforming, preventing citizens from receiving the full benefits of devolution.
Going forward, our fight against poverty requires three priorities:
1.Sound and stable macroeconomic management to prevent policy shocks that hurt the poor the most.
2.Stronger investment in social sectors—especially education, health, population, and nutrition—backed by accountability at the district level through empowered local bodies.
3.Climate resilience and disaster preparedness, so that progress is not reversed every time Pakistan faces natural shocks.
Poverty alleviation is not a one-time project. It demands consistent policies, resilient governance, and commitment across federal, provincial, and local levels. That is the path we are pursuing under URAAN Pakistan and the 5Es framework.
A Historic Milestone in Pakistan’s Development Journey ✌️
For the first time in the country’s history, Pakistan recorded Rs. 1,046 billion in development expenditure, achieving over 96% utilization of the allocated Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) budget in FY 2024–25, a remarkable feat amidst economic and fiscal challenges.
Watch Our Report here! 👇
🟣 A key moment from the speech of H.E. Prof. Ahsan Iqbal @betterpakistan, Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives of Pakistan, at the 6th Vice Chancellors’ Forum of Universities in the Islamic World, held at ICESCO HQ in Rabat 🇲🇦, in partnership with Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission 🇵🇰.
@hecpkofficial@bdu_eduaz@FuiwFumi
We now move to Ministerial Plenary Session 1⃣ on Navigating the Future of Higher Education: AI, ODL, technological disruptions, students’ outcome, etc.- Challenges and Opportunities
During which the following Decision makers and experts discuss the role of universities in advancing research:
🎓Dr. Lidia Borrel, Secretary General, Science Europe
🎓Dr. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives in Pakistan🇵🇰
🎓Mr. Munim Anees, Minister of State for Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development in Maldives 🇲🇻
🎓Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairperson, Higher Education Commission (HEC) in Pakistan 🇵🇰
🎓Dr. Saleh Algoul, Deputy Minister of Higher Education in Libya 🇱🇾
@hecpkofficial@bdu_eduaz@FuiwFumi
Just now I watched a gentleman Muazzam saheb on youtube singing “ yeh nain deray deray “ could he please contact me . I will be thankful if he sings a few songs for us .