RAWALPINDI: Some of the members of the World Bank’s Aid-Pakistan Consortium have pledged dollars 168 million towards aid to be provided to this country for fiscal year 1968-69, and this money is available for immediate use by Pakistan.

The amount is available to Pakistan for utilisation at the very start of the current fiscal year, the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Mr M.M. Ahmed, told this correspondent in an interview. Firm intimations regarding this amount had been received by him, to date.

The pre-Consortium meeting, in May this year, endorsed at Washington Pakistan’s request for dollars 550 million for 1987-68, against which dollars 450 million are expected to be pledged within the next three months, as individual countries get legislative approval of the aid to be provided to Pakistan.

Mr Ahmed said the credits and aid made available to Pakistan through firm pledges so far include: Canada dollars 27.3 million, France dollars 15 million, West Germany dollars 37.5 million, Japan dollars 30 million, the Netherlands dollars 4.4 million, the United Kingdom dollars 19.2 million, and the World Bank dollars 35 million.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2018