Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal pledged on Thursday to finish provincial projects by using a sharing formula.
During a meeting, he discussed ongoing and new projects of the National Highway Authority under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). Iqbal emphasized the importance of completing pending projects by overcoming any obstacles. He also highlighted the need to finalize ongoing projects in Balochistan as part of the PSDP.
Recently, Ahsan Iqbal mentioned that Saudi Arabia is likely to invest $5 billion in Pakistan. Speaking at a Business Summit in Islamabad, he stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would visit Saudi Arabia soon, and the Saudi crown prince might visit Pakistan after that. Iqbal pointed out that Pakistan’s annual revenue is Rs 7,000 billion, but this time, Rs 8,000 billion is needed to repay loans.
Iqbal stressed the necessity of expanding investment and exports to boost Pakistan’s economy. He emphasized the importance of political stability for economic progress and projected that Pakistan could become a $2,000 billion economy by 2047 with seven percent economic growth. Calling for collective efforts, Iqbal urged everyone to work together towards making Pakistan a $3 trillion economy.
Regarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Iqbal mentioned ongoing discussions with China to accelerate the second phase of CPEC. He also highlighted talks with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Qatar for potential investments in Pakistan.