ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday reaffirmed the country’s keen desire to work with the development partners in climate resilience projects, including agriculture.
The Prime Minister said this during his meeting with a delegation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), led by its president Masatsugu Asakawa, which called on him in Islamabad.
PM Shehbaz appreciated ADB’s generous support worth over $1.5 billion in response to the devastating floods of 2022.
While appreciating the long-standing and steadfast support of ADB to Pakistan, PM Shehbaz informed the visiting President on a series of reforms introduced by Pakistan. The key reforms include enhancing tax revenues, enhancing climate resilience, improving the financial sustainability of the energy sector, reducing untargeted subsidies and scaling up social protection.
PM Shehbaz emphasized that he is personally overseeing the progress of these reforms to ensure their successful implementation and long-term impact. He underscored Pakistan’s commitment to sustainable economic growth and stability.
In his remarks, President Asian Development Bank Masatsugu Asakawa appreciated Pakistan’s long association with ADB as one of its founding members. He lauded Pakistan for undertaking comprehensive reforms and reaffirmed ADB’s continued support to the country.
The ADB President renewed support for Pakistan in infrastructure development, climate and resilience enhancement, and institutional reforms.
Federal Ministers for Planning, Investment and Privatization, Economic Affairs, Finance and Revenue and other senior government officials also attended the meeting.
The Prime Minister and President of ADB also witnessed the loan signing of the Sindh Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project amounting to $400 million and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Roads Development Project worth $320 million.
Both these projects are part of the flood commitments of Asian Development.
