ISLAMABAD, Aug 18 (APP):Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday urged the youth to harness their energy, skills and ambition to help Pakistan achieve its national development goals, saying the country’s destination was not mere stabilization but a $1 trillion economy by 2035 under the URAAN Pakistan initiatives. Addressing the closing ceremony of the URAAN Youth Professional Development and Career (YPDC) Fellowship and Overseas …
Ahsan highlights economic recovery, urges youth to drive Pakistan towards $1tr economy
ISLAMABAD, Aug 18 (APP):Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday urged the youth to harness their energy, skills and ambition to help Pakistan achieve its national development goals, saying the country’s destination was not mere stabilization but a $1 trillion economy by 2035 under the URAAN Pakistan initiatives.
Addressing the closing ceremony of the URAAN Youth Professional Development and Career (YPDC) Fellowship and Overseas Summer Scholars Programme-2026, he said the enthusiasm and passion of Pakistani youth represented the country’s greatest wealth and must be channelled towards national development.
The minister said Pakistan had repeatedly reached points where it was seen as a potential emerging economic success, but failed to sustain the momentum due to discontinuity in reforms and development policies.
Referring to the country’s difficult economic situation in recent years, he said the government had made tough, painful decisions to stabilise the economy, stressing that such measures were necessary to put the country back on the path to recovery.
He said the impact of these decisions was reflected in key economic indicators, with inflation declining from 38 per cent to 7 per cent and the policy rate from 23.5 per cent to 11.5 per cent over two years.
He added that the stock market, after falling to around 80,000 points, had crossed 180,000, while Pakistan’s sovereign rating had returned to the B category in 2026 after a decade.
“These indicators show the recovery achieved as a result of difficult decisions,” he said.
Ahsan Iqbal, however, stressed that stabilization was not the ultimate destination, saying Pakistan must now move towards sustained growth and development.
“Our destination is to turn Pakistan into a $1 trillion economy by 2035,” he said, adding that achieving this ambitious target would require empowering and equipping the country’s youth with knowledge, skills, confidence and a spirit of innovation.
He said the URAAN YPDC programme was aimed at preparing young Pakistanis to reach their full potential and contribute meaningfully to the country’s future.
Drawing on Allama Iqbal’s vision of youth as “Shaheen”, the minister urged young people to remain self-reliant, ambitious and constantly in pursuit of excellence.
He said Pakistan’s youth had the potential to revive the country’s historic tradition of excellence in knowledge, science and innovation and take the nation to new heights of progress.
The minister stressed that the energy and passion displayed by the youth on Independence Day should not remain confined to a single day but be transformed into a sustained national commitment to development throughout the year.
