Islamabad: A delegation from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Pakistan Mission, led by Senior Director Tariq Niazi, called on the Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, today.
The delegation included Zain Fawzi, Senior Project Officer; Asad Aleem, Deputy Country Director; and Sana Masood, Senior Economist.
During the meeting, Minister Ahsan Iqbal emphasized the need for technological integration across various networks and urged the ADB to develop a judicial information system for Pakistan’s 2,500 courts.
“The system should provide detailed profiles of all judges, track the status of disposed cases, and include timelines for pending cases to ensure transparency and efficiency,” he stated.
The Minister further recommended the establishment of a comprehensive police information system to integrate all 1,500 police stations in the country. This system would include details of each station’s jurisdiction and streamline operations.
He underscored the importance of leveraging technology to modernize Pakistan’s administrative and service delivery systems.
“Technology should expose discrepancies in a way that eliminates human manipulation,” he said, citing the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) successful implementation of the Iris software as a model for digital automation.
Senior Director ADB Tariq Niazi briefed the Minister on ADB’s portfolio in the South Asian region, including its work in public sector management, governance, and macro-fiscal policy.
He highlighted ADB’s pivotal role in providing technical and financial assistance to Pakistan over the past decade, particularly during crises such as the pandemic, economic downturns, and conflicts.
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The ADB delegation also shared updates on five active programs in Pakistan, which include pension reform, domestic resource mobilization, managing public-private partnerships, State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) transformation, and FBR digitalization initiatives.
Minister Ahsan Iqbal urged the ADB to increase the concessional financing limit for Pakistan, citing the severe economic repercussions of climate change.
They minister stressed the need to separate climate financing from regular financing to support vulnerable countries effectively.
The Minister identified export expansion as a critical challenge for Pakistan’s economy and sought ADB’s assistance in creating programs to drive export growth.
“A cluster-based approach can be adopted to enhance exports by identifying trade clusters with potential and conducting value chain analyses,” he suggested. He highlighted the untapped potential of Pakistan’s flower industry as an example.
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“Pakistan’s flower-producing hub, Pattoki, could export flowers to Europe, as Bangkok does. Unfortunately, we remain confined to commodity production and consumerism,” he lamented.
The ADB delegation expressed willingness to support studies and strategies to enhance Pakistan’s export capacity, aligning with the Minister’s vision for economic diversification and growth.
This meeting underscores the commitment of the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives and the ADB to collaborate on technological, economic, and administrative reforms for sustainable development in Pakistan.
