Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said Pakistan must raise exports to $100 billion by 2035 to reduce dependence on external borrowing, urging policymakers to prioritise competitiveness, investment and long-term policy continuity.

Inaugurating the 39th International Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Pakistan Society of Development Economists (PSDE) at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), he called for a globally competitive, export-driven economy to overcome recurring balance-of-payments crises and strengthen economic sovereignty. The conference is being held under the theme “Mission $100 Billion: The National Race for Sustainable Export-led Prosperity.”

“A nation’s economic sovereignty rests on its ability to pay its way in the world,” the minister said, highlighting Pakistan’s widening export gap with successful Asian economies.

Under URAAN Pakistan, he emphasised competitive clusters, complete value chains and integration into global supply networks. He urged PIDE and the research community to develop actionable export roadmaps identifying products, markets, missing capabilities, institutional responsibilities and delivery timelines. He stressed that export success requires policy continuity beyond political transitions and welcomed research that challenges government assumptions.

Delivering his presidential address, “Why Pakistan Does Not Export More: Rewiring Pakistan’s Economy for Global Competitiveness,” PIDE Vice Chancellor and PSDE President Dr Nadeem Javaid argued that Pakistan’s export weakness reflects an economic incentive structure that has made competing internationally less attractive than serving protected domestic markets.

He described a self-reinforcing export trap: a narrow export base intensifies foreign-exchange pressures, which constrain the investment and productive imports needed to build competitiveness.

“One hundred billion dollars is the scoreboard, not the strategy,” Dr Javaid said, stressing that pathways must build firms’ capabilities, with support disciplined by measurable performance and success judged by better jobs, higher real wages and improved living standards.