Future economy must be driven by knowledge, exports: Ahsan

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal told a ceremony at GIKI that Pakistan's economy in the coming years must rest on knowledge, technology, innovation and exports. Business Recorder reported that he spoke at the close of the Digital Design and Verification Training Programme 2026 on Friday, where 40 students finished the first phase after four months of training. He urged young people to turn their learning into technology products that can compete abroad.

Iqbal put chip design at the centre of his remarks, noting that silicon chips power laptops, cars and heavy machinery and underpin fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics and space technology. He described semiconductor skills as the base of the modern economy and voiced hope that Pakistani graduates would one day build unicorn firms that can compete worldwide.

He also called for curricular reform, arguing that political instability and weak policy continuity had slowed development, and he cited the Quantum Valley Pakistan initiative as a step toward advanced research. He stressed that policies must be sustained so that national development is shielded from repeated disruptions.