Iqbal highlights development priorities

.


Our Correspondent June 13, 2025
Minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal. Photo: APP

print-news

ISLAMABAD:

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday acknowledged that tight fiscal space, driven by structural constraints, has reduced its ability to fund development projects under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

At a news conference, he said the development budget has declined from 2.6% of GDP in 2017-18 to just 0.8% — a trend described as a serious structural concern for national development.

He said the government aims to meet development and other expenditures through domestic resources, however, achieving this goal requires raising Pakistan's tax-to-GDP ratio to at least 16% — a level already maintained by regional peers.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ