Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Sunday called upon overseas Pakistanis, particularly healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs and investors, to become active partners in Pakistan’s journey towards sustainable development, healthcare modernization and economic transformation under the government’s URAAN Pakistan initiative.
Addressing the 49th Annual Convention of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) here during his visit to the United States, the minister said Pakistan’s future depended on investing in human capital through education, healthcare, population management, innovation and technology while strengthening collaboration with overseas Pakistani professionals.
Inviting Pakistani physicians abroad to contribute their expertise, Ahsan Iqbal proposed a Telemedicine Backup model under which panels of 10 US-based medical specialists would be constituted for each of Pakistan’s 60 districts to provide remote clinical support to junior doctors serving in underserved areas.
He said the initiative would facilitate knowledge transfer, improve healthcare delivery and expand access to specialist medical care through digital technologies.
The minister also urged overseas Pakistani doctors to help develop artificial intelligence (AI)-driven healthcare solutions, digital health platforms and technology-based medical innovations to modernize Pakistan’s health sector.
Highlighting key human development challenges, he said Pakistan continued to face issues including hepatitis C, diabetes, tuberculosis, polio, rapid population growth and child stunting, which required coordinated national efforts supported by global expertise.
He said Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had approved the establishment of the National Population Council, headed by the prime minister with all chief ministers as members, to ensure a coordinated national response to population management. He added that hepatitis C elimination programmes were under way in Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, while a nationwide diabetes awareness campaign would soon be launched.
During an interactive session, Ahsan Iqbal said peaceful political expression was a constitutional right but political differences should never undermine state institutions or damage Pakistan’s international image. He stressed that politics must remain separate from the state and urged Pakistanis to safeguard national sovereignty and the country’s global reputation through responsible democratic discourse.
The minister observed that Pakistan’s development trajectory had suffered due to repeated disruptions in policy continuity.
He said the previous PML-N government had overcome the energy crisis, restored peace and stability, and launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), while the coalition government after assuming office in 2022 took difficult decisions to avert default, stabilize the economy and reduce inflation from around 38 per cent to nearly 5-6 per cent.
Later, during separate meetings with members of the Pakistani-American business community in Orlando, Ahsan Iqbal invited overseas entrepreneurs and investors to contribute to Pakistan’s economic revival by promoting exports, technology partnerships and productive investment.
He said the government’s economic vision under URAAN Pakistan focused on an export-led, innovation-driven and knowledge-based growth model aimed at enhancing competitiveness, attracting investment, creating employment opportunities and accelerating sustainable economic growth.
He urged the diaspora to leverage its global networks to expand market access for Pakistani products, facilitate technology transfer and strengthen the country’s export sector.
Referring to Maarka-e-Haq, the minister said Pakistan, under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, had demonstrated national unity, professional excellence and technological capability in safeguarding its sovereignty.
He said the country’s next defining challenge was Maarka-e-Maeeshat, winning the battle for economic strength through higher exports, industrial competitiveness, technological advancement and increased investment. Concluding his engagements, Ahsan Iqbal reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening the rule of law, ensuring policy continuity, improving the investment climate and fostering long-term partnerships with overseas Pakistanis.
He described the Pakistani diaspora as one of the country’s greatest strategic assets and invited overseas professionals to actively contribute towards building a prosperous, resilient and globally competitive Pakistan under the vision of URAAN Pakistan.