World Bank agrees on new partnership strategy

Pakistan and the World Bank on Wednesday agreed to collaborate on a new, robust and ambitious Country Partnership Framework to carry forward the country’s reform and development agenda. The agreement was reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and a World Bank delegation, led by its Regional Vice President for South Asia Martin Raiser. Welcoming the VP, PM Shehbaz praised the World Bank’s contribution to the development of Pakistan. He appreciated the support extended by the bank for building climate-resilient infrastructure following the devastating floods of 2022. He informed the delegation about the reforms programme of Pakistan’s government including the digitisation of the entire tax system, improvement in the power sector, enhancing per-acre yields in the agriculture sector and addressing the child stunting challenge. Welcoming the reforms campaign, World Bank Regional VP Martin Raiser emphasised that the bank was ready to collaborate with Pakistan in its journey towards transformation of the economy and achieving sustainable development.