Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal has called on the media to play a proactive role in highlighting key national challenges and promoting public awareness.

Addressing an event in Islamabad, he said media coverage plays an important role in shaping national priorities and ensuring accountability of institutions.

The Minister warned that Pakistan's economic sovereignty could be at risk without a significant increase in exports. He set a target of raising the country's exports to 100 billion dollars by 2035 to reduce reliance on the International Monetary Fund and external financing.

Ahsan Iqbal said the Ministry of Planning had introduced various transparency measures, while stressing that independent media scrutiny was equally essential.

He emphasised the need to bring development-related issues into mainstream public debate to accelerate Pakistan's journey towards progress and development.