Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday invited Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) member states to integrate their value chains with Pakistan\u2019s Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and explore opportunities for cross-border industrial clusters, leveraging Pakistan\u2019s preferential trade agreements with China, ASEAN and the Middle East.
\nHe extended this invitation while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the fifth annual two-day CAREC Institute Research Conference, held in collaboration with the University of Sargodha (UOS).
\nThemed \u201cCAREC Connectivity: Promoting Trade and Trade Facilitation,\u201d the conference brought together a diverse group of national and international stakeholders.<\/p>\n
Co-organizers of the event included the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Pakistan Single Window (PSW), Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), International Road Transport Union (IRU), Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI), Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan International Freight Forwarders Association (PIFFA), and the ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF).
\nHe said the conference was \u2018timely and essential\u2019 as in a world reshaped by climate shocks, geopolitical shifts, and technological disruptions, regionalism was emerging as the new realism.
\n\u201cToday, intra-regional trade among CAREC countries (excluding China) accounts for only 7% of total trade. In contrast, ASEAN countries trade over 22% among themselves,\u201d he said.
\nThis disparity, he said was not due to geography \u2013 it was due to underdeveloped logistics, fragmented regulatory frameworks, and limited institutional coordination.<\/p>\n
\u201cGeography is not destiny. It is an opportunity \u2013 if we choose to seize it,\u201d he said, quoting a famous economist Paul Collier as saying.<\/p>\n
The CAREC region, Ahsan Iqbal said, with a population of nearly two billion and vast reserves of energy, minerals, and talent was not short on potential, stressing the need for a unified development strategy backed by collective action.
\nSharing Pakistan\u2019s new development vision \u2018URAAN Pakistan,\u2019 the minister said the vision was based on five strategic pillars including Exports, Equity and Empowerment, E-Pakistan, Environment, Energy and Infrastructure.
\nThis strategy, he said, was not isolated from regional ambitions rather aligned fully with CAREC Vision 2030.
\nUnder URAAN, he said, Pakistan was expanding high-value exports like IT, Halal food, and engineering goods. Pakistan\u2019s IT exports, for example, have crossed $3.5 billion and are growing at 20% per year, empowering youth through digital skills, mobilizing green investment, with 10 GW of solar projects in the pipeline under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), positioning Pakistan as a trade and logistics hub, connecting CAREC to maritime trade via Gwadar and Karachi besides facilitating in trade \u2013 From Intent to Implementation.
\nThe minister said, Pakistan Single Window (PSW) has reduced customs clearance time from 8 days to less than 48 hours. \u201cIt is now being expanded to integrate with Central Asian corridors, making it a model for CAREC-wide digital trade interoperability.\u201d
\nUnder the TIR Convention, he said, Pakistan has facilitated hundreds of cargo movements from China to Central Asia and the Middle East, reducing transit costs by up to 30 percent and time by up to 50 percent.<\/p>\n
However, he mentioned some confronted obstacles like non-harmonized documentation, slow border procedures, and insufficient infrastructure at transit points, adding that regional harmonisation of standards, tariffs, and digital protocols must now be the forum\u2019s top priority.
\n\u201cAs CAREC economies deepen trade with the GCC and beyond, intermodal transport will become the backbone of integration. Pakistan\u2019s agreement with DP World and NLC is already enabling multimodal cargo movement between Central Asia and the UAE via Pakistan\u2019s ports,\u201d he added..
\nDescribing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a regional connectivity asset, he said over 3,000 kilometers of roads have so far been constructed or upgraded, 11 GW of power generation added to the national grid, while Gwadar port was being developed as a regional gateway, with a Free Zone attracting international investors.
\n\u201cCPEC Phase II focuses on industrial cooperation and Special Economic Zones (SEZs). These zones offer joint venture opportunities for CAREC partners in manufacturing, food processing, and logistics,\u201d he said.
\nHe said energy was the lifeblood of connectivity, so Pakistan was pushing ahead with regional projects like CASA-1000, linking Kyrgyz and Tajik hydropower to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
\nEmbracing green energy, the minister said over 30 percent of new energy investments in Pakistan were in solar, wind, and hydro, adding Pakistan\u2019s National Solar Energy Initiative aimed at installing 10,000 MW of solar power by 2027.
\n\u201cWe propose establishing a CAREC Green Energy Corridor\u2014connecting producers in the north with consumers in the south. Let this be our joint contribution to global climate goals and regional prosperity,\u201d he said.
\nUnder E-Pakistan, Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan was digitising public services and customs, creating a regulatory sandbox for fintech and startups, and supporting freelancers and digital entrepreneurs, who already earned over $1 billion in remittances in 2024.
\n\u201cWe envision a CAREC Digital Trade Corridor\u2014an interconnected system of e-customs, smart logistics, and digital certification that facilitates real-time, paperless trade.\u201d
\nHe said regional integration must begin with regional trust that was built by people, suggesting harmonising education standards across CAREC, facilitating students and faculty exchange programs, and supporting the CAREC Think Tank Network, so research could drive policy.
\nPakistan, the minister said, was working to align industrial policy, skills training, and logistics education with regional market demands, adding \u201cwe are also expanding visa facilitation for business and academic travellers.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stressed building a CAREC region that connected not only goods and services, but aspirations and opportunities.
\n\u201cPakistan reaffirms its full and unwavering commitment to the CAREC agenda. We are ready to be your partner, your bridge, and your ally in this journey. Let us dream big, plan together, and deliver boldly,\u201d the minister said.
\nSpeaking on the occasion, University of Sargodha Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Qaiser Abbas said CAREC was not only a platform for economic development in Central and South Asia but also a means to promote interdependence, sustainable development, and regional prosperity.
\nHe said that Pakistan could play a pivotal role under the \u2018Uraan Pakistan\u2019 vision through sustainable development, regional connectivity, digital trade, and the promotion of green energy.
\nDr Qaiser Abbas emphasized that infrastructure and policy alone was not sufficient for regional development, terming knowledge, research, and the involvement of the younger generation as essential prerequisites.
\nHe said universities were not merely educational institutions but nurseries of regional cooperation. He added that the success of the CAREC vision depended on building bridges between education, research, and policy.
\nHe affirmed that the University of Sargodha was ready to play a key role in research, manpower development, and policy support not only for Pakistan but for the entire CAREC region.
\nReferring to the address by Federal Minister for Planning, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, the Vice Chancellor remarked that Pakistan was no longer just a geographical route, but was emerging as a vibrant regional hub.
\nHe said that \u2018Uraan Pakistan\u2019 was not merely a policy, but a comprehensive framework that integrated exports, equity, digital revolution, environment and energy.
\nHe expressed satisfaction that Pakistan\u2019s IT exports have surpassed $3.5 billion and that millions of youth are becoming self-reliant through digital skills.
\nWith these developments, Dr. Qaiser Abbas noted that Pakistan is not only becoming stronger internally but is also emerging as a reliable partner for the CAREC region.
\nHe proposed the establishment of a CAREC University Network, calling it the need of the hour to promote joint research, harmonize educational standards, and engage youth as active contributors to regional development.
\nHe reiterated that the University of Sargodha was prepared to take a leading role in this network.
\nDr. Qaiser Abbas emphasized that knowledge-based growth forms the foundation of sustainable development, and that the success of CAREC Vision 2030 depends not only on roads and ports but also on research, youth leadership, and regional cohesion.
\nHe said the University of Sargodha would continue to contribute its research and intellectual expertise on such platforms in the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday invited Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) member states to integrate their value chains with Pakistan\u2019s Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and explore opportunities for cross-border industrial clusters, leveraging Pakistan\u2019s preferential trade agreements with China, ASEAN and the Middle East. He extended this invitation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":481520,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-481511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\n