ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday said Pakistan’s struggle for sustained development is rooted in political instability and policy disruption rather than a shortage of ideas, strategies or technical expertise.
Speaking at a policy discussion, the minister said repeated breaks in governance and development planning have prevented Pakistan from building a solid socio-economic foundation, warning that investment in infrastructure alone cannot deliver progress in the absence of stability.
He said physical development loses its value when the social framework remains weak, adding that roads, bridges and buildings amount to little more than concrete structures if human development and institutional continuity are neglected.
Referring to past national frameworks such as Vision 2010 and Vision 2025, Ahsan Iqbal said continuity was clearly recognised as essential, yet none of the plans were allowed to run their course due to political upheavals. As a result, he said, Pakistan failed to convert long-term strategies into measurable outcomes.
Describing the present phase as a defining moment for the country, the minister said Pakistan must decide whether it wants to continue repeating historical mistakes or adopt a fundamentally different development trajectory based on stability and consistency.
He likened public policy to agricultural seed, saying outcomes depend not just on design but on conditions. Without political calm, institutional support and time, even the best policies cannot bear fruit, he said.
Drawing lessons from global experience, Ahsan Iqbal identified peace, political stability, long-term policy continuity and ongoing reform as the core pillars of sustainable growth. He stressed that development policies require a decade or more to show results, warning that premature disruption resets progress entirely.
He cited countries including India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Singapore as examples where extended periods of stable governance enabled steady economic transformation.
However, he cautioned that stability alone is not sufficient. Without continuous reform and modernization, he said, stability merely entrenches outdated systems instead of driving progress.
Addressing governance challenges, the minister said Pakistan suffers from a persistent gap between knowledge and implementation. He noted that government institutions are rich in research, reports and expert advice but poor in execution.
Quoting academic research, he said organizations fail not because they lack knowledge, but because institutional resistance, vested interests and fear of change block action. He said similar patterns exist across Pakistan’s public sector.
Turning to human development, Ahsan Iqbal emphasized that education, child health and welfare must be treated as national imperatives. He warned that while Pakistan shows economic indicators comparable to middle-income countries, its social indicators remain alarmingly weak.
Citing the 2023 census, he said population growth has accelerated to around 2.55 percent annually, with more than 6.5 million children born each year. He questioned whether the state is adequately prepared to meet the educational and health needs of this growing population.
Without sustained investment in children and human capital, he warned, Pakistan risks falling further behind in an increasingly competitive global environment.
