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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: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Afghanistan on Wednesday held its inaugural session in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where Pakistan’s foreign minister urged member states to mobilize aid, revive trade and banking channels and press Kabul to take verifiable action against militancy. 

The group was formed in December 2021 at the extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad, which was convened after the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021. That meeting was attended by foreign ministers from OIC member states and aimed to coordinate Muslim countries’ approach to Afghanistan’s humanitarian and political crisis.

Pakistan, which shares a 2,600-km border with the country and has hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades, has repeatedly pressed the international community not to isolate Afghanistan and to support stability through humanitarian relief and regional connectivity. At the same time, relations between Islamabad and Kabul have been strained by a recent surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan, which authorities say are launched by groups operating from Afghan territory. The government in Afghanistan denies this. 

“Afghanistan cannot remain isolated,” Pakistani foreign minister and deputy prime minister Ishaq Dar said at the inaugural session of the OIC Contact Group on Afghanistan, according to a statement by the foreign ministry in Islamabad. 

“The OIC must secure unconditional humanitarian funding, revive trade and banking systems, enhance regional connectivity and promote dialogue for compliance with international obligations.”

The Pakistani foreign minister voiced grave concern over militant groups operating from Afghan soil, warning that they threatened regional peace and security. 

He proposed a working group of OIC experts to chart a roadmap for Afghanistan’s stability, underlining that “lasting peace requires sincerity, mutual respect and political will.”

At a separate OIC session on Palestine, Dar described the Gaza crisis as a “defining moment” for the Middle East and the Muslim world. He demanded an immediate ceasefire, unfettered humanitarian access, an end to forced displacement and settlement expansion, and the restitution of lands seized since 1967.

“This is a defining moment for the Middle East and the Muslim world,” he said. “The OIC must press for: first, an immediate, permanent and unconditional ceasefire by Israel; second, provision of unfettered, sustained and secure humanitarian access to all civilians in need.”

Dar also called for accountability for war crimes, reparations for Palestinians, compliance with International Court of Justice rulings, support for Gaza’s reconstruction, deployment of an international protection mechanism and recognition of an independent Palestinian state on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Pakistan reaffirmed its solidarity with the Palestinian people and said that as a newly elected non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2025-2026, it would continue to prioritize peace in the Middle East and justice for Palestinians.