Pakistan on Thursday approved and advanced development projects worth more than Rs435.7 billion ($1.55 billion), including major investments in electricity infrastructure, urban services, irrigation and land digitization, as the government seeks to modernize public infrastructure and support economic growth.
The projects form part of the government’s “URAAN Pakistan” initiative, a national economic transformation plan that aims to raise exports, attract investment, modernize infrastructure and accelerate growth through reforms in sectors including energy, industry, technology and agriculture.
Pakistan is pursuing a reform agenda aimed at boosting investment, improving public services and addressing long-standing infrastructure bottlenecks that have constrained economic activity in sectors ranging from agriculture and industry to urban development. The country has also been seeking to strengthen energy security, improve governance through digitization and upgrade aging infrastructure while maintaining fiscal discipline under an International Monetary Fund-supported economic stabilization program.
The largest projects moved forward on Thursday included power-sector upgrades, a Rs60.5 billion ($215 million) wastewater treatment plant for Lahore, a Rs43 billion ($153 million) land digitization project in Punjab and a revised Rs64 billion ($228 million) irrigation scheme designed to improve water availability for agriculture.
“Energy security remains one of the central pillars of the Government’s ‘URAAN Pakistan’ initiative, which seeks to accelerate economic growth, industrial competitiveness, and sustainable development,” Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said while reviewing power-sector projects.
The projects were reviewed by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP), Pakistan’s key project-screening body, which approved six projects worth Rs16.9 billion ($60 million) and recommended six larger projects worth Rs418.8 billion ($1.49 billion) to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval.
Among the largest energy projects forwarded to ECNEC was a Rs195 billion ($694 million) reactive power compensation initiative aimed at improving the stability and efficiency of Pakistan’s electricity transmission network. The forum also recommended a Rs24 billion ($85 million) Asset Performance Management System project for Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), designed to improve monitoring of transformers and grid infrastructure.
In Punjab, the CDWP recommended the Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement project worth Rs43 billion ($153 million), which aims to modernize land records and strengthen land administration systems in the country’s most populous province.
The forum also recommended a revised Rs60.5 billion ($215 million) wastewater treatment project in Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, where untreated sewage and industrial waste have long posed environmental and public health challenges.
Another major project sent to ECNEC was the revised Jalalpur Irrigation Project, whose cost has risen to Rs64 billion ($228 million). The project is intended to improve water supply for agriculture in Punjab, a province that accounts for most of Pakistan’s agricultural output.
Among the projects approved directly by the CDWP was the first phase of the Smart Islamabad Initiative, worth Rs2.9 billion ($10.3 million), which seeks to improve public services and digital infrastructure in the capital.
The planning ministry said the projects were aligned with the government’s efforts to improve infrastructure, strengthen public service delivery and support long-term economic development.