LARKANA: World Bank Group President Ajay Banga on Wednesday visited flood-affected parts of Larkana district to review rehabilitation efforts firsthand, with a particular focus on women-led housing initiatives and post-flood reconstruction.

Mr Banga arrived in Larkana with a 10-member high-level delegation and was received at Mohenjo-Daro Airport by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Shah, the chief secretary and other senior officials.

Accompanied by the chief minister, the WB president visited a community centre in Bhawal Jatt village near Dokri, where he held an interaction with local women affected by the 2022 floods.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Banga outlined three key principles that, he said, were universally applicable to development. He stressed that women must be given ownership rights, describing this as the foundation of true freedom. He said women should also be economically active, earn an income and manage their households, adding that children’s education largely depended on women.

Commends transparent fund transfers and women’s ownership in flood-hit areas; CM Murad takes him to Mohenjo Daro

He observed that when a woman in a household is empowered and informed, she effectively manages the entire family. Appreciating Sindh’s housing model, he noted that bank accounts were being opened in women’s names alongside house construction, ensuring transparent financial inclusion.

He said that women made payments directly, labourers earned livelihoods through construction work, and the circulation of money helped strengthen the local economy. Highlighting the third principle, he said the initiative was not merely about building houses but about improving the overall quality of life.

Thanking the chief minister, Mr Banga said he had wished to visit the area personally to understand the situation on the ground.

He termed Sindh’s 2.1 million housing project an extraordinary initiative, noting that it had generated employment and stimulated economic activity. He also commended the transparent transfer of funds through bank accounts.

“Development is a shared responsibility of the government and the people. When two hands come together to clap, it resonates loudly,” he remarked.

Later, Mr Banga, along with CM Shah, visited the archaeological site of Mohenjo-Daro, where they were received by Culture Minister Zulfiqar Ali Shah.

The chief minister and the WB president toured the site in a golf cart, during which Mr Shah showed him the vintage car of Sir John Marshall, the renowned archaeologist.

According to the chief minister’s spokesperson, a special handicraft exhibition was organised featuring stalls of handloom khadi, traditional charpoys, jandi wood charpoy legs, shawls, khadi bags and hand-embroidered textiles.

The WB president conducted an extensive tour of the archaeological remains and visited the Mohenjo-Daro Museum.

He inspected the site’s stupa, walked through the ancient streets and closely observed the 5,000-year-old drainage system. He also took interest in the residential structures and commercial life of the Indus Valley Civilisation.

Archaeological experts and local officials briefed him on various aspects of the site. Mr Banga praised the city’s planned urban layout, calling Mohenjo-Daro a brilliant early example of human ingenuity and an amazing ancient city.

He appreciated ongoing preservation efforts and underscored the need to protect historical heritage for future generations, highlighting the site’s potential for cultural tourism and academic research.

He recorded his impressions in the visitors’ book at the Mohenjo-Daro Museum.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Shah said Mohenjo-Daro represented the 5,000-year-old Indus Valley Civilisation and served as a reminder of Sindh’s rich cultural and historical identity.

“We Sindhis are inheritors of the Indus Civilisation,” he remarked.

CM briefs WB president

Briefing the WB president on Sindh’s flood history, the chief minister recalled that the province had suffered repeated floods, including the devastating 2022 deluge. He acknowledged that the government had never previously planned permanent housing for flood-affected populations.

He said that during the floods, people had informed PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari that their homes had been washed away, prompting instructions to build houses for flood victims.

The chief minister said the housing project required around $2 billion, or approximately Rs600 billion, with Rs300,000 allocated per house. He said neither the Sindh government nor the federal government had the financial capacity to undertake the project independently.

He said the World Bank’s first instalment of $500 million, representing 25 per cent of the required amount, gave the government the confidence to proceed. From this funding, around 1.5 million houses were currently under construction, while over one million had already been completed. He expressed confidence that all two million houses would be completed within the year.

He thanked the WB president for visiting the affected areas, meeting beneficiaries and witnessing the reconstruction process firsthand.

After attending various programmes and visiting Mohenjo-Daro, Mr Banga departed for Karachi along with the chief minister.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2026