Ahsan Iqbal

Ahsan Iqbal is a Pakistani politician of the PML-N who has served as the Federal Minister for Planning and Development and as a senior party leader. Born on 28 September 1958 in Lahore, he studied at Government College Lahore and the University of Engineering and Technology before earning an MBA in the United Kingdom.

Political career

Ahsan Iqbal was first elected to the National Assembly in 1993 and has been re-elected repeatedly from his constituency in Narowal. He served as Interior Minister and later as Planning Minister in Nawaz Sharif's government (2013-2018), where he was the architect of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework and authored the Vision 2025 development plan. He was also the PML-N's information secretary and a key figure in its media and international outreach.

In 2018 he survived an assassination attempt during a rally in his constituency. He returned to the Planning portfolio in 2024 under Shehbaz Sharif's government, again overseeing national development planning and CPEC-related projects.

Legacy

Ahsan Iqbal is regarded as one of the PML-N's most articulate and policy-oriented leaders, and his name is closely associated with Pakistan's flagship infrastructure and connectivity projects. He continues to be a prominent voice on economic planning and regional cooperation.