- Advertisement -
ISLAMABAD, Feb 26 (APP):Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday underlined the need for accessible data, evidence-based research and policies to advance national development goals, specifically the objective of increasing exports from $30 billion to $100 billion.
“Pakistan’s biggest challenge is how fast we can grow our exports. This will determine our development and how soon we can achieve the $100 billion export target. To achieve this, we need a significant shift from an increase of 30-40 degrees to 80-90 degrees supported by data and evidence-based guidance,” he said while addressing the inaugural session of the two-day RASTA-PIDE conference.
The seminar, organized by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) under the RASTA Competitive Grants Program, focused on transformative policy research and development strategies. During the event, 24 research papers are being presented across six technical sessions.
The conference participants covered various topics, including “Tech for Competition and Growth,” “Fiscal Management,” “Sludge and Development,” “Human Capital and Opportunities,” “Sustainable Development,” and “Political Governance.”
Citing the Chinese model of development, the Planning minister urged the adoption of scientific planning driven by data and evidence, advancing the progress journey in phases and taking the easier path first to achieve the required national development goals.
He stressed the importance of integrating research and development work into the decision-making process, contributing to national growth and prosperity and ensuring the optimal use of billions of rupees being spent on university laboratories.
“With the limited available resources, we need to be focused and strategic in our research agenda, producing concrete ideas and solutions to the challenges we face, while increasing our earning capacity both domestically and internationally,” he said.
Commenting on past setbacks, Ahsan Iqbal regretted that whenever the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government set the country on a consistent path of development and prosperity, the system was derailed, preventing the continuation of that agenda.
He recounted that the PML-N government eradicated terrorism, ended prolonged power load-shedding and secured around $25 billion in investment during the first phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. He noted that ambassadors from leading countries were seeking investment opportunities in various sectors. Unfortunately, he said, all this progress was halted in 2018 to facilitate certain interests.
He also recalled the PML-N government’s Vision 2010 and Vision 2025, which led world-leading rating agencies to predict that Pakistan would be among the top 20 economies by 2030.
“In business and economy, sentiment matters more than the balance sheet. Many companies grow despite having an average balance sheet, simply because sentiment is strong,” he said. In 2017, Pakistan had successfully developed a positive sentiment, but “a forced change had altered everything,” he added.
The minister argued that it was on record that no nation has ever achieved the status of a developed country without a decade of political stability, citing four basic pillars: peace, political stability, policy continuity and a continuous reform agenda.
“A strong ecosystem based on these four elements is essential for national development and prosperity,” he remarked.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, PIDE Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Nadeem Javaid, said the institute was a bridge between research and action, and not just a think tank, outlining a vision for strengthening Pakistan’s policymaking landscape through new initiatives designed to ensure that research translates into real impact.
He announced the establishment of a Policy Lab that would provide real-time, data-driven solutions for governance and economic challenges.
To further enhance the quality of research and policy recommendations, PIDE is implementing a rigorous research funding mechanism that prioritizes high-impact, evidence-based studies. Additionally, a recruitment drive will bring in 90 top researchers and policymakers purely on merit.
As part of a broader initiative to integrate academic research with policymaking, PhD students will be placed in economic ministries, where they will work on real-world policy challenges while developing their research theses.
PIDE’ Director Policy and Project Director RASTA Dr Faheem Jehangir provided insights into RASTA’s remarkable expansion over the past four years.
The initiative has cultivated an extensive knowledge network, collaborating with 70 local universities, 12 international institutions, and over 4,300 researchers, practitioners, and academicians.
The Competitive Grant Program (CGP) has received 1,664 applications across seven rounds, but to maintain quality and impact, only 90 research projects (7.8% selection rate) were funded.
Of these, 65 have been successfully completed, while the remaining 25 are being presented at this conference.
In parallel, the Demand-Driven Research (DDR) Program, which addresses government policy needs, has funded 33 government-driven projects, with 22 completed and publicly accessible.
The conference also featured several technical sessions on technology-driven economic growth, fiscal management, and governance efficiency.
The first session, “Tech for Competition and Growth,” included research presentations on Big Data Analytics in business competitiveness, the development of a Tech Index for Pakistan, the adoption of UAVs in agriculture, the impact of digital currencies, and pharmaceutical export competitiveness. This session was chaired by Babar Majid Bhatti, CEO of the National Information Technology Board (NITB), with Zahid Asghar, Professor at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, as the discussant.
The second session, “Fiscal Management,” featured experts including Hafeez A. Pasha discussing Pakistan’s tax system, broadening the tax base, sub-national revenue collection, and the impact of the 18th Constitutional Amendment on fiscal policy. It was chaired by Ikram Ul Haq, Professor of Taxes and Managing Partner at Huzaima & Ikram, with Imtiaz Ahmad, Economic Adviser at the Ministry of Finance, serving as the discussant.