Makkah Pact must expand to trade, technology, education: Ahsan
LAHORE: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said Thursday that the Makkah Pact linking Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye must expand beyond its military dimensions into a broader platform for trade, technology and education, arguing that Pakistan’s next major national challenge will be won through exports and innovation rather than weapons. Speaking as chief guest at a…
Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has called for the Makkah Pact, a military alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye, to expand into trade, technology, and education. Speaking at a conference hosted by the University of Lahore, Iqbal argued that Pakistan's future success will come from exports and innovation rather than weapons.
He emphasized that the pact's true value lies in combining Saudi financial resources, Turkish industrial and defence capacity, and Pakistan's youthful population and strategic geography into a broader framework encompassing artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, space technology, and critical minerals. Iqbal also highlighted Pakistan's security depends on economic strength, education, and institutional reform, rather than military power alone, as the government aims for a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2035.
The event featured other prominent figures who praised the Pakistan-Saudi defence relationship as a stabilising factor amid regional tensions.
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