Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal has stressed the need to prioritize and complete ongoing development projects. Addressing the Annual Plan Coordination Committee meeting for the 2026-27 budget, he said the country’s development budget is insufficient to finance projects promptly, describing the situation as a major challenge for the planning process.
Ahsan Iqbal said government would have to increase development spending in the long run while ensuring that priority projects one completed and removed from the development portfolio. He highlighted the scale of the challenge, saying the federal development portfolio carried a throw-forward of around ten trillion rupees, while ministries had sought nearly four trillion rupees for ongoing projects.
The Minister also noted Pakistan’s economy was on a path to recovery and that the government would continue its efforts to provide relief to the common man through effective development planning.