ISLAMABAD, Sept 12: The Planning Commission has convened the first roundtable panel meeting on Saturday to set priorities for the next five-year development plan.

Finance Minister Syed Naveed Qamar will preside over the meeting. The government last week constituted a panel of economists to assist the commission in preparing the five-year development plan.

The panel is headed by Dr Hafiz A. Pasha, a former adviser to the prime minister and currently dean of the Beaconhouse University. He will be assisted by Dr Amjad Rashid, vice-chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE).

The panel includes former commerce minister Dr M Zubair Khan, Dr Akhtar Hassan Khan, Professor Dr Akmal Hussain and Dr Kaiser Bengali.