Exports are 'life and death'

According to The Express Tribune, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Thursday that expanding exports is the only sustainable route open to Pakistan. He warned that stabilisation resting on borrowing offers little real security, and that genuine progress depends on trade growth. He framed the shift toward export-led growth as a question of survival for the nation.

Iqbal made these remarks during a meeting in Islamabad with Asian Development Bank Vice President Yingming Yang, who had paid a courtesy call on him. The discussion covered the bank's continuing support for development work under the URAAN Pakistan framework. Iqbal requested technical assistance from the bank, asking it to help draft a plan for widening and diversifying exports, similar to the technical support it gave during Vision 2010.

He repeated the target of growing the economy to $1 trillion by 2035, and said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was fully committed to removing structural bottlenecks and reforming sectors including industry and food security. Turning to water, he noted that unseasonal rainfall is becoming more severe in Pakistan and urged the ADB to help build local water management infrastructure. He proposed building small dams, reservoirs and ponds that could hold rainwater, especially where large quantities currently run off, saying the stored water could protect cities, support farming and strengthen overall water security.