With the help of the government’s ambitious technology plans, the country is on its way to becoming a mini superpower by 2025, said Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday, as he expressed confidence in the country’s future.Iqbal said that the country’s work in initiating cluster-based technology in agriculture and mining was paving way for more development; he stated while chairing a meeting on “Technology as Industry”.
He added that the government was committed to put the country on the path of technology because it was one of the strong drivers of growth. “Growth cannot be achieved through crawling in exports and by relying on commodities.”
He said the government needed to enhance exports in order to achieve growth, which would be possible only with the advancement in technology and value addition.
Economic advancement would only be possible with technological advancement. “Pakistan possesses significant technological infrastructure that provides a platform for development.”
About the economic dividends the country offers to international companies, the minister said, leading IT companies had reported that offshore operational cost and productivity of information technology operations in Lahore were better than Bangalore.