Islamabad: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal has emphasized the importance of prioritizing and completing existing development projects, citing budgetary limitations as a major hurdle in the planning process. Speaking at the Annual Plan Coordination Committee meeting for the 2026-27 budget, he highlighted the insufficiency of the current development budget to promptly finance projects.

According to Radio Pakistan, Ahsan Iqbal pointed out that the government needs to increase development spending over time while ensuring that priority projects are completed and subsequently removed from the development portfolio. He stated that despite the constraints, Pakistan’s economy is on a recovery path, and the government remains committed to providing relief to the populace through effective development planning.

The minister underscored the scale of the challenge, revealing that the federal development portfolio holds a throw-forward of approximately ten trillion rupees. Additionally, ministries have requested nearly four trillion rupees for ongoing projects, further complicating the financial landscape for development initiatives.