The Central Development Working Party has referred the Rs37.13 billion Pakistan Space Centre project to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council for final approval, marking a significant step toward building the country’s indigenous satellite development capabilities. The decision was made during a CDWP meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, during which the forum approved seven development projects and reviewed several other major national initiatives.
Overall, the CDWP approved four projects worth a combined Rs12.437 billion and recommended three major projects worth Rs240.537 billion to ECNEC for final sign off. Among these, the revised Establishment of Pakistan Space Centre project, sponsored by SUPARCO, carries an estimated cost of Rs37.13 billion. According to the Planning Ministry, the centre is intended to give Pakistan the ability to design, assemble, integrate, test and qualify satellites domestically, reducing the country’s reliance on foreign facilities for these processes. Ahsan Iqbal described the project as a key component of the National Space Program 2047, saying it would improve Pakistan’s self reliance in space technology while supporting the country’s strategic, scientific and socio-economic objectives through more cost effective satellite development.
The CDWP also approved four Higher Education Commission projects during the same meeting. These included in-principle approval for upgrading the Women University of AJ&K Bagh, worth Rs2.55 billion, alongside the formation of a committee to review project costs. The forum also approved the provision of academic facilities at Emerson University Multan, worth Rs1.04 billion, subject to cost rationalization, and approved the establishment of the Hyderabad Institute for Technology and Management Sciences, worth Rs4.56 billion, with directions to increase the number of university buses from two to six through internal budget adjustments and remove a previously proposed endowment fund. A separate university upgrade project saw its cost reduced from Rs5.49 billion to Rs4.28 billion before approval. Ahsan Iqbal directed the Higher Education Commission to prepare a comprehensive university infrastructure master plan, ensure development work is awarded only to pre-qualified, top tier contractors, and appoint project directors strictly on merit and relevant professional experience.
The forum also recommended two major water infrastructure projects to ECNEC, including the Lahore Water and Waste Water Management Project, worth Rs31.59 billion, which includes a new surface water treatment plant, transmission pipelines, a SCADA monitoring system and a 5MW solar power component, along with the Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme, known as K-IV Phase One, worth Rs171.81 billion, aimed at supplying 260 million gallons of water per day through new intake structures, pumping stations, filtration plants, reservoirs and transmission infrastructure. Reviewing the Karachi water project, Ahsan Iqbal described it as a critical initiative for providing safe drinking water, improving public health, and reducing dependence on costly private water tankers, directing the Sindh government to submit a comprehensive implementation plan covering timelines for the project’s 50MW power supply and distribution network. These projects form part of the government’s broader Uraan Pakistan development agenda, which centers on infrastructure modernization, human capital development, improved governance and sustainable economic growth.
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