WB okays $700m for Pakistan

Published December 21, 2025

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank has approved $700 million in financing for Pakistan under a multi-year initiative aimed at supporting the country’s macroeconomic stability and service delivery, it emerged on Saturday.

The lender said the funds will be released under the bank’s Public Resources for Inclusive Development — Multip­hase Programmatic Appro­ach (PRID-MPA), which could provide up to $1.35 billion in total financing.

Of this amount, $600m will go for federal programmes and $100m will support a provincial programme in Sindh.

The approval follows a $47.9m World Bank grant in August to improve primary education in Punjab.

A separate statement issued by the lender quoted Bolormaa Amgaabazar, the World Bank’s country director for Pakistan, as saying, “Pakistan’s path to inclusive, sustainable growth requires mobilising more domestic resources and ensuring they are used efficiently and transparently to deliver results for people.”

She said that through the MPA, the bank was working with the federal and Sindh governments to “deliver tangible impacts — more predictable funding for schools and clinics, fairer tax systems, and stronger data for decision-making — while safeguarding priority social and climate investments and strengthening public trust”.

Tobias Akhtar Haque, World Bank lead country ec­­onomist for Pakistan, said stregthening Pakis­tan’s fiscal foundations was “es­­sential to restoring ma­­cro­economic stability, deli­vering results and strengthening institutions”.

“Through the PRID-MPA, we are launching a coherent nationwide app­roach to support reforms that expand fiscal space, bolster investments in human capital and climate resilience, and strengthen revenue administration, budget execution, and statistical systems,” he said.

“These reforms will ensure that resources reach the front line and deliver better outcomes for people across Pakistan with greater efficiency and accountability,” he added.

According to the statement, the federal component will focus on raising domestic revenues more fairly, improving budget planning and execution, and strengthening data systems for evidence-based decisions.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2025

Opinion

Editorial

A new deal
Updated 16 Jun, 2026

A new deal

AFTER three and a half months of war between US-Israel and Iran and an acrimonious temporary ceasefire, a genuine...
Charter of economy
16 Jun, 2026

Charter of economy

NO one expected the PTI to accept the government’s invitation to sign a charter of economy; just as few expected...
Hostage seamen
16 Jun, 2026

Hostage seamen

SOME 50 days on, 11 Pakistani nationals are still in Somali pirates’ captivity. Their appeals to the Pakistani and...
Climate choices
Updated 15 Jun, 2026

Climate choices

The country is confronting increasingly volatile weather patterns with consequences for agriculture, infrastructure, public health and economic planning.
Brief opening
15 Jun, 2026

Brief opening

WE have been here before. Throughout the weekend, there was great anticipation that a tentative framework for peace...
Environmental disaster
15 Jun, 2026

Environmental disaster

IT was a heartbreaking sight. A recent news report in these pages carried a picture of a sea turtle lying half ...