Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday said that by 2047, Pakistan would be included amongst the top 10 economies in the world.

“By working hard, we can bring Pakistan to the top 10 economies of the world by 2047 and for this, we have to silence negative voices,” he said.

Iqbal expressed these remarks at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Conference held in the Ministry of Planning regarding the national development agenda.

The minister said that development is possible only through the implementation of SDGs. “It is also to be taken into consideration that Pakistan’s budget would be compatible with the SDGs”, he said.

Read more: Pakistan will be 16th largest economy by 2050: PwC report

Ahsan said that natural resources were misused in industrial revolution, adding that Pakistan is among top ten countries affected by climate change.

The minister said that parliamentarians have a very important role regarding sustainable development goals and the work of distribution of resources is done by the Parliament.

He said that the private sector has an important role to play in achieving the SDGs and the media should help spread awareness of SDGs to the public.

The Sustainable Development Goals, when formulated, were intended to develop and it is our responsibility to establish safe and sustainable development for future generations, he said.

The minister said that sustainable development goals are included in Pakistan’s 2025 agenda.

Today, all the stakeholders, civil society and the private sector can also play a role in achieving sustainable development goals, he stressed.