Overview
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who addressed the federal cabinet on Thursday, set a goal to build Pakistan into an economic power modeled on the national drive that produced its nuclear capability.
- He directed an overhaul of the housing sector that includes digitising and automating approvals, mandatory developer registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, a one-window service for applicants, and coordination with provinces for master plans and vertical growth.
- He said a temporary US–Iran ceasefire is holding but stressed the broader war has hobbled regional economies by choking energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, raising costs and weighing on Pakistan’s recovery.
- He reiterated that Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent is strictly for defence and credited Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for launching the programme and Nawaz Sharif for completing it with the 1998 tests.
- A Population Projections 2023–50 briefing told the cabinet the country could reach about 390 million people by 2050, which would require sustained 6–8% growth to create enough jobs compared with roughly 3.5% now under IMF-linked consolidation.