Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has called for placing education, health, nutrition, clean water and population balance under the national priorities of Pakistan.

He expressed these view while chairing a meeting on the Human Capital and Skills Mission, the seventh of the Eleven National Economic Missions under URAAN Pakistan in Islamabad today.

The meeting reviewed Pakistan's standing on health, education and skills against peer countries, the URAAN targets for the mission, and a proposed federal-provincial delivery mechanism for achieving them.

Ahsan Iqbal emphasized that as Pakistan won Marka-e-Haq, we must now win Marka-e-Taraqqi - the battle for development.

The Minister said continuity of policy and political stability are indispensable for putting Pakistan on the path of development. He said long-term social and economic goals would be difficult to achieve without them.

Ahsan Iqbal said investment in human resources and skills is the foundation of Pakistan's future development. He said social-sector challenges are more important than roads and buildings and must be taken up as a national emergency.

The Minister noted that purpose of the 18th Amendment was to improve the social sectors, but the desired results cannot be achieved because the authority was not transferred to the lower tiers.

Ahsan Iqbal urged the provincial governments to introduce governance reforms in education, health and other social sectors, and to post officers of the highest caliber in these departments.