����ֱ��

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s health minister on Wednesday set a bold $30 billion pharmaceutical export target over the next five years, vowing full government support for the sector at the 8th Pakistan Pharma Summit and 4th Pharma Export Summit & Awards (PESA 2025) in Islamabad.

The pledge comes as Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry posts strong growth, with exports rising by 35% in the past year to nearly $500 million, according to the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA). 

The sector, which already produces more than 90 percent of the country’s medicines domestically, is now looking to expand into new markets such as Afghanistan and scale up to global standards through digitization, technology transfer, and regulatory reform.

“Although this is a challenging target, it is achievable with commitment and hard work,” Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal told the summit. “Let’s move forward and work round the clock to meet this target.”

He said Pakistan should aim higher given that some countries earn more than $300 billion from pharma exports. 

“The current figure of $475 million is a step forward, but not something to be satisfied with. We must think bigger,” Kamal said.

The minister said the government was removing bureaucratic hurdles by accelerating approvals and embracing digitization. 

“What used to take months or years to approve is now being cleared within weeks,” he said. 

Kamal also announced plans to upgrade Basic Health Units in Karachi and Islamabad with telemedicine facilities to deliver healthcare and medicines directly to communities.

On vaccines, the minister noted that Pakistan still imports 95 percent of its supply, mostly from neighboring countries, and urged industry to localize production. 

“There is dire and urgent need to develop indigenous capabilities for vaccine production. The pharmaceutical industry must step up to this challenge,” he said.

Industry leaders echoed the call for self-reliance and global competitiveness. 

PPMA Chairman Tauqeer ul Haq said exports could reach $500 million annually to Afghanistan alone but warned that 90 percent of raw materials are imported. 

He called for an independent trade body, PharmEx, to resolve industry challenges and boost exports. 

“Previously, we faced significant hurdles in export processes. Now, export registrations are being granted within a week, which is a major step forward,” he said, praising reforms by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).

Former PPMA chairman Dr. Sheikh Kaiser Waheed said the $30 billion target was realistic if backed by government reforms. 

“While we already produce more than 90 percent of the country’s medicines domestically, the true test ahead is to compete globally on innovation, quality, and trust — not price alone,” he said.

DRAP CEO Dr. Obaidullah said the regulator was modernizing to align with international standards, noting: 

“Despite various challenges, the pharma industry in Pakistan is continuously growing and its exports witness an upward trend with each passing year.”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday urged Muslim countries to mobilize humanitarian aid and press Kabul to take verifiable steps against terrorism as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Afghanistan held its inaugural session on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The Contact Group was established in December 2021 at an extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad, convened after the Taliban takeover of Kabul.

Pakistan, which shares a 2,600-km border with Afghanistan and has hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades, has consistently pressed the international community not to isolate Kabul. At the same time, relations between the two neighbors have been strained by a recent surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan, which authorities say are launched from Afghan territory. Kabul denies this. 

“The OIC Group must advocate for adequate funding by the international donors to meet Afghanistan’s humanitarian aid requirements without any political considerations,” Pakistani foreign minister and deputy prime minister Ishaq Dar said in his speech, according to an official transcript.

The minister said OIC states should help stabilize Afghanistan’s economy and revive its banking system to create conditions for trade and regional connectivity. He also commended UN-led initiatives to support former poppy farmers with alternative livelihoods, urging the OIC to back these efforts.

Turning to security, Dar voiced “serious concern” over the presence of more than two dozen militant groups inside Afghanistan, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army, Majeed Brigade and East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which he said were collaborating with Al-Qaeda. Kabul says Pakistan’s security issues are an internal challenge and denies harboring militant groups. 

“Our law enforcement officials and civilians continue to make enormous sacrifices to terrorism emanating from Afghanistan,” he said. “Earlier this month, 12 Pakistani soldiers were martyred in our bordering regions while combating TTP terrorist infiltrators from Afghanistan.”

Dar called on the Afghan interim authorities to take “concrete and verifiable action” to prevent their soil from being used for terrorism against neighboring countries. 

He proposed the establishment of an OIC working group of experts to draw up a practical roadmap for progress “across the entire spectrum of issues faced by our brotherly country Afghanistan.”

The Pakistani deputy premier urged the Taliban to lift their curbs on women and girls’ education and employment, calling them “unjustified and contrary to Islamic principles and norms of Muslim society.” He said the OIC should work to persuade the Taliban to reconsider such policies.

On refugees, Dar said peace returning to Afghanistan should pave the way for millions of displaced Afghans to return home.

“The OIC Group must urge the Afghan interim authorities to create conditions necessary for facilitating the resettlement of Afghan returnees … and to ensure their integration into the political and social fabric of Afghanistan for lasting peace and stability,” he said.