Civil Service Is the Permanent Pillar of the State, Says Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal

Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has described the civil service as a permanent pillar of the state, noting that while political governments may come and go, the country's administrative institutions carry enduring responsibility for national development, state media reported.

He made the remarks while addressing the concluding ceremony of the 40th Senior Management Course at the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) in Islamabad. A total of 46 officers from various service groups completed the 16-week training programme.

According to the minister, Pakistan's future depends heavily on how well public institutions adapt to changing circumstances. He highlighted artificial intelligence and fast-moving technological developments as major forces reshaping the global economy, and said government departments must be prepared for the shift. Drawing a comparison with Nokia and BlackBerry, he noted that firms which fail to adjust to market changes eventually lose relevance, and urged public institutions to treat global shifts as opportunities rather than threats.

Iqbal said sustainable economic growth would require peace, security, political stability, consistent policies for at least a decade and structural reforms. Reflecting on the country's economic trajectory, he said Pakistan was making progress under Vision 2025 in 2017, but political developments in 2018 interrupted that momentum, and the country later faced severe economic difficulty, coming close to default in 2022.

He said Pakistan is now moving toward economic stability under the government's URAAN Pakistan framework, which aims to build a $1 trillion economy by 2035. He cautioned, however, that without faster reforms the economy could reach only about $600 billion by that year. The framework rests on five pillars — exports, energy, environment, equity and E-Pakistan — and the minister said raising exports beyond $100 billion by 2035 is essential for economic sovereignty, alongside improvements in education, healthcare and human resource development.

Addressing the graduating officers, Iqbal urged them to look beyond routine administrative duties and contribute to meaningful change in government institutions and society. He called for public administration grounded in honesty, accountability and service to citizens.

The NIPA course is one of the country's key mid-career training programmes for civil servants, designed to prepare officers for senior management roles across federal and provincial departments.