CHICAGO: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has invited Pakistani-American business leaders, technology entrepreneurs and investors to play a greater role in Pakistan’s economic transformation by bringing investment, expertise and global networks to the country.
Addressing a gathering of 20 prominent Pakistani-American entrepreneurs, technologists and financiers in Chicago, including several former Fortune 500 executives and AI founders, the minister said Pakistan had achieved significant progress in national security, diplomacy and macroeconomic stability and must now convert those gains into sustained economic growth.
He said the government had implemented difficult but necessary economic reforms under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, helping restore macroeconomic stability, reduce inflation and strengthen investor confidence. He urged overseas Pakistanis to include Pakistan in their investment and business portfolios.
The minister outlined the government’s URAAN-Pakistan vision, which aims to build a $1 trillion economy by 2035 and a $3 trillion economy by 2047 through a strategy focused on exports, digital transformation, climate resilience, energy and infrastructure, and social empowerment. Priority sectors include information technology, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, mining, the blue economy, skilled manpower and creative industries.
During his visit, Iqbal also held separate meetings with officials from the University of Chicago, where both sides agreed to collaborate on curriculum reform, public-sector transformation, civil-service training and climate resilience initiatives.
The meetings resulted in agreements to launch a hybrid academic programme for Pakistani students, develop a modern training programme for civil servants, review school and university curricula in partnership with the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), and expand cooperation on emissions trading, electricity tariff research and weather forecasting systems.
The minister said Pakistan remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing minimally to global emissions, stressing the need for stronger international partnerships to improve resilience and disaster preparedness.
Concluding his engagements in Chicago, Iqbal reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening Pakistan’s knowledge economy through deeper collaboration with Pakistani-American academics, researchers and technology experts.
