Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s keen desire to work with the development partners in climate resilience projects, including agriculture.

He said this during his meeting with a delegation of Asian Development Bank, led by its president Masatsugu Asakawa, which called on him in Islamabad today.

The Prime Minister appreciated Asian Development Bank’s generous support worth over 1.5 billion US dollars in response to the devastating floods of 2022.

While appreciating long-standing and steadfast support of Asian Development to Pakistan, the Prime Minister informed the visiting President on a series of reforms introduced by the Government. The key reforms include enhancing tax revenues, improving financial sustainability of the energy sector, enhancing climate resilience, reduction in untargeted subsidies and scaling up social protection.

The Prime Minister emphasized that he is personally overseeing the progress of these reforms to ensure their successful implementation and long-term imp
act, underscoring the Government’s commitment to sustainable economic growth and stability.

In his remarks, President ADB Masatsugu Asakawa appreciated Pakistan’s long association with the bank as one of its founding members. He lauded the Government for undertaking comprehensive reforms and reaffirmed ADB’s continued support to Pakistan.

He renewed support in 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 US Dollars and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Roads Development Project worth 320 million US dollars.

Both these projects are part of the flood commitments of Asian Development.

Source: Radio Pakistan