Pakistan seeks ADB roadmap for export-led growth

September 03, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan has urged the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to provide technical assistance and international best practices to help expand and diversify the country’s exports, with export-led growth described as the only sustainable route to economic transformation.

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal warned that Pakistan faces an existential economic crisis, saying true economic stabilization could only be achieved through exports rather than debt and calling the transition towards an export-driven economy a matter of “life and death” for the country.

“Stabilization will only be true stabilization when it is not on the back of debt. Only exports can give us the legs to grow,” Ahsan Iqbal emphasized.

He made these remarks during a high-level meeting with ADB Vice President for South, Central and West Asia Yingming Yang in Islamabad, where the bank’s ongoing support for Pakistan’s development agenda under the URAAN Pakistan framework was discussed.

The minister sought ADB assistance in preparing a strategic roadmap for export expansion and diversification, calling for the bank’s technical expertise and global best practices and referring to the landmark technical support ADB provided during the preparation of Vision 2010.

Ahsan Iqbal reiterated the government’s goal of transforming Pakistan into a $1 trillion economy by 2035 and said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was fully committed to removing structural bottlenecks, reforming key sectors and leveraging economic diplomacy.

He emphasized that reforms in industry, food security, commerce and foreign affairs were necessary to achieve sustainable, export-led economic growth.

The minister highlighted Pakistan’s economic turnaround from 2022 to 2026 as a compelling case study for developing economies and called on the ADB to maintain continuous coordination on development projects to ensure their optimal alignment with state priorities.

Climate adaptation and water security also came under discussion. Iqbal highlighted the increasingly severe and unseasonal rainfall events facing Pakistan and urged the ADB to partner in developing critical localized water-management infrastructure.

He called for serious consideration of small dams, water reservoirs and retention ponds to store rainwater, particularly in areas where large volumes of water are currently being drained away.

Ahsan Iqbal said stored water could help protect cities, support agriculture and strengthen overall water security, while also highlighting the challenge posed by sudden transboundary water inflows.

On environmental conservation, Iqbal requested ADB technical expertise to develop a sustainable tourism management framework for Gilgit-Baltistan to protect the region’s fragile ecosystems amid surging visitor numbers.

Yingming Yang reaffirmed the ADB’s commitment to supporting the Government of Pakistan’s core strategic objectives under URAAN Pakistan, including institution building, climate resilience and long-term sustainable growth.

The ADB Vice President also formally invited Iqbal to lead Pakistan’s national delegation to the 25th CAREC Ministerial Conference, scheduled for September 29–30, 2026, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Iqbal accepted the invitation.

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