Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has called for federal-provincial collaboration to address pressing challenges, including rapid population growth, healthcare sector deficiencies, and education sector shortcomings.

Chairing a high-level meeting with provincial planning ministers in Islamabad today, he stressed the need for collective efforts to achieve national development goals, particularly in the wake of the seventh census results, which predict a doubling of the population within 24-30 years.

The Minister expressed concern over Pakistan’s lagging position in healthcare and education, citing issues like diabetes, hepatitis, tuberculosis, malnutrition, stunting, and out-of-school children. He directed the Federal Bureau of Statistics to collect data on out-of-school children and emphasized the need for federal-provincial collaboration in healthcare and education.

Despite fiscal constraints, the Planning Minister committed to funding federal universities through the Federal Government and Provincial universities through Provincial Governments.

The meeting focused on aligning development projects with the Annual National Development Plan, optimizing utilization of allocated funds for higher education, and strategies for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.