ISLAMABAD
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday urged Pakistan’s youth to steer the country towards a new era of stability, creativity and national reconstruction, saying the nation was “ready to take its fourth historic flight.”
Addressing the inaugural session of Uraan Pakistan National Debate–2025, he said the initiative aimed to nurture intellectual leadership, promote moral and civic awareness, and equip young people with the knowledge required to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving technological era.
The minister said Pakistan possessed immense natural and human resources, including a hardworking population, fertile land, rich mineral wealth and a digitally connected society. “We must recognise that despite enormous blessings and significant achievements, our pace of development has lagged behind other nations that once trailed us,” he added.
Recalling Pakistan’s early struggles, Ahsan Iqbal said the country began its journey with extreme scarcity–even lacking basic office supplies–yet went on to emerge as the world’s seventh nuclear power, build modern fighter jets and develop a diverse industrial base. The expansion from only a few universities to nearly 250 institutions today, he said, demonstrated the nation’s capacity for progress.
He, however, said inconsistent policies and political disruptions had repeatedly halted long-term development plans. Vision 2010 and Vision 2025, he said, were both designed to place Pakistan among the world’s leading economies, but derailed due to instability and abrupt policy discontinuity. “Successful countries advance by choosing peace, stability, continuity of policy and sustained reforms,” he added.
