Ministries asked to align their projects with ‘URAAN'

Business Recorder

08-05-2025

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal 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 minister gave these directions while chairing a special meeting on the alignment of sectoral priorities, plans, and interventions with URAAN Pakistan here on Wednesday.
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The meeting was attended by Chief Economist Planning Commission Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, Project Director URAAN Pakistan Irma Malik, Members of the Planning Commission, and senior officials from federal and provincial ministries.
The minister emphasised improved stakeholder coordination and management, a deeper understanding of URAAN Pakistan among line ministry partners, identification of targeted policy interventions for localised 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.
In his opening remarks, 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 symbolise 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 10 times before repeating such aggression.
However, this act of hostility will not deter us from our real agenda—Pakistan's economic development.'
He emphasised 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 realise,' 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 utilise our national potential. We need to move forward with a bold, future-oriented approach.'
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 four per cent 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, prioritises 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. Digitalisation is not just about apps and portals—it's about dismantling red tape and building responsive, intelligent systems,' he remarked. Iqbal described the emergence of 'e-Pakistan' as a new pillar of the country's transformation strategy, focused on re-imagining the national economic model through digital ecosystems in fintech, agri-tech, and green-tech – 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 Project Director, 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.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025