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Islamabad: Pakistan took a significant step toward reimagining its development model as the 38th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Pakistan Society of Development Economists (PSDE) commenced.
Organised by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), RASTA, and the CPEC Centre of Excellence, the three-day conference is themed “URAAN Pakistan: Growth Through Digital Transformation.”
The opening session was addressed by Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, the Federal Minister for Planning and Chancellor of PIDE. He presented the government’s URAAN 5E Framework, a roadmap that is focused on exports, equity & empowerment, E-Pakistan, environment & climate, and energy & infrastructure.
He emphasised that technology is a powerful equalizer and called for the establishment of National Centres for Digital Innovation to drive long-term planning and policy consistency. “Pakistan is not a poor country but a poorly managed economy,” he said. “Digitization offers vast opportunities to improve business processes and boost productivity.”
The conference began with strong consensus around the need for institutional reform and digital-first governance. Dr. Nadeem Javaid, President of PSDE and Vice Chancellor of PIDE, introduced his “Leapfrogging Ladder Theory,” which advocates for bypassing traditional stages of development by leveraging frontier technologies, youth-led innovation, and strong institutional capacity. The minister has suggested that the digital future necessitates modern sensibilities for its development. He additionally advised that strategic planning be prioritized over suspicion and that an openness to innovation be maintained.
Awais Manzur Sumra, the Federal Secretary of the Ministry of Planning, introduced URAAN Pakistan as a strategic master plan to achieve a $1 trillion economy by 2035. He reiterated the importance of inclusive growth methods, capacity development strategies, and policy changes to facilitate the implementation of the framework across all sectors.
The conference also featured a high-level panel discussion titled “Unlocking Pakistan’s Digital Potential: The Next 10 Years,” where concerns were raised about Pakistan’s low share in the $4 trillion global IT export market. The IT service exports from Pakistan amount to only $3 billion whereas India generates $210 billion. Industry leaders underscored the necessity of immediate solutions to infrastructure and educational deficiencies, as well as exclusionary barriers, to facilitate digital development.
Saleem Ullah, a representative of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), underscored the necessity of financial and digital inclusion for women during the event. According to his research, a substantial proportion of Pakistani women, 53%, are unbanked. He promoted the development of juvenile skills and the improvement of digital infrastructure to meet the demands of the international market.
Fatima Akhtar, Vice President of Communications and Outreach at Jazz, emphasized the role of high telecom taxes at 34.5 percent in blocking digital accessibility. According to her, there exists minimal smartphone use by women, which requires equal technological access for digital change to succeed. “Unless women—who make up half the population—have equitable access to technology, digital transformation will remain a distant dream,” she said. “It’s not AI that will replace humans; it is people who know how to use AI who will replace those who don’t.”
Emma Fan, Country Director of ADB, suggested a targeted policy and infrastructure approach, including the development of digital hub cities and deregulation to spur innovation. Asim Ghaffar, VP Engineering at 10Pearls, stated that AI adoption should be accompanied by timely policy updates, warning against knee-jerk overhauls that could disrupt progress.
Additional speakers, including Dr Najeeb Ullah Marwat from the Planning Ministry and Dr Baber Bhatti of the National Information Technology Board (NITB), echoed the need for a whole-of-society approach. They called for stronger public-private partnerships in education, health, and technology sectors to drive inclusive and sustainable growth.
Dr. Nasir Iqbal, Secretary of PSDE, emphasised the academic strength of the conference, with 150 research papers submitted and 40 selected for presentation through a blind review process. He also acknowledged the re-allocation of land for a new PIDE campus, which was made possible with support from Prof. Ahsan Iqbal and Dr. Nadeem Javaid.
With a packed agenda of thematic panels, policy dialogues, and expert lectures, the PSDE conference aims to align academic research with practical policymaking and set the course for a digitally empowered Pakistan. In his concluding remarks, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal urged all stakeholders to move from planning to execution, stating that unity, innovation, and data are the essential tools to drive Pakistan forward.
