‘Uraan Pakistan’— ambitious blueprint or another aspirational document?

In response to criticism that the 13th Five-Year Plan, designed in light of the government’s development vision ‘Uraan Pakistan’, is overly ambitious and based on illusions rather than concrete solutions, the government asserts that a practical, transformational implementation strategy is in place and already under way.

Critics, particularly economists, have highlighted a lack of clarity regarding how the stated goals will be achieved. Meanwhile, the business community has largely expressed support, voicing confidence in the initiative’s potential and hoping for swift practical measures to realise the set targets.

Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Special Initiatives and Interprovincial Coordination Ahsan Iqbal dismissed the criticism as misplaced, arguing that it stems from the assumption that no strategy exists. Addressing the decision not to share the complete roadmap, he explained that inclusion of all elements of the meticulously developed strategy, crafted over the past six months, would have made the document excessively voluminous and cumbersome for readers.

Highlighting key aspects of the strategy, he stated, “Ministry-specific sectoral plans have been developed to implement ‘Uraan Pakistan’. A delivery unit at the Prime Minister’s Office will oversee overall progress, while a National Economic Transformation Unit (NETU) has been set up at the ministry of planning to monitor the plan’s implementation. Every goal has been translated into Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to ensure effective execution and result tracking”.

Ahsan Iqbal stated, talking over the phone, that a mandatory timeline has been set for quarterly reviews of progress against targets at the sectoral, ministerial and provincial levels. 

A senior member of the planning ministry emphasised the importance of provinces aligning with the federal government’s efforts in this regard. “Uraan Pakistan is a framework built around 5Es — exports, e-Pakistan, environment and climate change, energy and infrastructure and equity, ethics and empowerment. Provinces and ministries must also develop their own action plans to complement this initiative”, he stated. 

The government claims in the 72-page ‘Uraan Pakistan’ document, that the plan draws on ideas discussed at the 2022 ‘Turnaround Summit’ in Islamabad, participated by experts and business leaders. “The summit resulted in the formation of the 5Es framework, which outlines five key pillars designed to guide Pakistan towards non-inflationary, sustainable growth and long-term national prosperity”, the document states. 

Stakeholders voiced doubts. “Why were experts and business leaders, instrumental in developing the framework, not invited to the launch? Their presence would have conveyed a stronger sense of broader ownership of the plan,” remarked an analyst critical of the centralized approach to planning and governance.      

“The successful implementation of the 5-Es framework, in light of which the 13th Five-Year Plan 2024-2029 has been developed, changes our crisis-driven, short-term and reactive approach to emerging challenges into a proactive, long-term strategic response for sustainable development and provides a solid foundation for a long-term sustained growth trajectory. The reoriented 5-Es National Economic Transformational Plan (2024-2035) will stimulate an environment conducive to wealth creation, distribution and global competitiveness, improving the quality of life of millions of Pakistanis, and ultimately, solidifying Pakistan’s position as a significant global player with vast potential”, the crux is explained in Uraan Pakistan.

Gohar Eijaz, a business leader and former caretaker minister, expressed support for the government’s initiative. “I am pleased to see the government prioritizing export-led growth and setting a target of $60 billion in exports over the next five years. In my opinion, Pakistan has the potential to achieve $100bn in exports if we focus on facilitating and promoting businesses” he remarked.

Asad Ali Shah, a chartered accountant, former managing partner at Deloitte Pakistan and noted commentator, criticised the government’s plan in a social media post, describing it as filled with ambitious promises but lacking a clear roadmap.

“Uraan Pakistan envisions a $1 trillion economy by 2035 and $3 trillion by 2047, but “how” remains unanswered. For example: Where are the strategies to tackle inflation, debt, and sluggish growth? How do we plan to boost exports and economic growth without improving productivity? What about tackling energy shortages, losses from state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and fiscal imbalances? Where is the plan for major privatization? And why is there no engagement with provinces, private sectors, or civil society?”, he questioned.

“Without structural reforms, realistic targets, and stakeholder ownership, this plan risks becoming yet another aspirational document—full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”, he remarked.

Planning may not be Pakistan’s strong suit, but political parties and successive governments have historically proposed several ambitious economic plans. Notably, Pakistan was among the first few countries to integrate the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the start of the 21st century and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 into the national agenda with benchmarked targets. unfortunately, these initiatives fell short of delivering tangible results and the performance report on past efforts has been consistently disappointing.

This shortcoming is acknowledged in the ‘Uraan Pakistan’ document, with reference to plans launched by the PMLN. It states: “In the past, we designed national Vision 2010 and Vision 2025 to steer the country toward greatness, however, political disruptions did not allow us to achieve our desired economic state”.