Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik has announced a planned $10 million fund for startups working on clean air, saying the government has decided to set it up from its own limited resources after seeking support from development partners. Addressing the Pakistan National Clean Air Conference 2026 on Wednesday, he said approval from the fund’s board was expected the following day. The minister described the proposed initiative as an obligation to future generations rather than a grant or a loan, and said the government remained committed to pursuing clean-air measures with or without external support.
Malik acknowledged the contributions of development partners, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, UNICEF and the German development agency GIZ, in supporting climate-related initiatives in the country. At the same time, he described air pollution as a human-induced crisis driven by policy choices and economic activities, and said its health and economic consequences are borne most heavily by those with the fewest resources to protect themselves. According to the minister, air pollution imposes an economic cost equivalent to 6.5 per cent of Pakistan’s gross domestic product, which reflects the burden of illness, hospitalisation and related financial pressure on affected families.
The minister also stressed that communities whose agricultural practices contribute to pollution are themselves suffering its consequences, which makes it important to find practical solutions that deal with environmental challenges while protecting the livelihoods of the people affected. He said the clean-air agenda needs to move beyond declarations and requires engineering solutions, effective policies and financial commitments rather than slogans. Malik reiterated the government’s resolve to work with development partners to put practical measures in place that improve air quality, reduce pollution and protect public health.
The report did not say how the fund will be structured, how much each startup could receive, which kinds of clean-air technologies will be eligible or when applications will open. It also described the fund as planned, with board approval still pending at the time of the announcement, so those details are expected to become clearer once the board decides.
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