Islamabad – 25 February 2026(News Desk): The Country Director of the World Bank for Pakistan, Ms. Bolormaa Amgaabazar, called on the Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, at the Finance Division today. The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation under the World Bank’s Country Partnership Framework (CPF) and advancing key reform priorities of the Government of Pakistan. Discussions covered a broad range of areas including population and human capital development, climate resilience, agriculture sector reforms, energy sector sustainability, and overall portfolio performance. The Finance Minister emphasized the importance of effectively operationalizing the CPF, particularly in priority areas such as population management and climate change. He underscored the need for strong coordination between federal and provincial governments to ensure coherence in policy design and implementation.
Highlighting that implementation largely rests with the provinces, the Minister stressed that relevant federal ministries must remain fully engaged in planning, oversight, and monitoring processes to ensure national alignment and ownership of reform initiatives. Both sides exchanged views on enhancing institutional coordination, improving transparency in project design and target-setting, and strengthening monitoring mechanisms to achieve intended development outcomes. The Country Director reaffirmed the World Bank’s commitment to working closely with federal and provincial stakeholders and further enhancing information sharing and collaboration. The meeting also reviewed progress in the agriculture sector, with particular emphasis on reforms aimed at improving productivity, strengthening value chains, expanding access to finance, and promoting private sector participation. The Finance Minister stressed the importance of aligning provincial initiatives with broader national reform efforts to promote sustainable growth and job creation. The World Bank expressed its readiness to continue supporting agricultural transformation efforts in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including the International Finance Corporation.
Energy sector reforms and financial sustainability were also discussed, including options to strengthen the sector’s long-term viability. Both sides agreed to continue technical-level engagements to explore feasible solutions in line with Pakistan’s reform agenda and fiscal framework. The Country Director briefed the Finance Minister on overall portfolio performance and ongoing development operations, reaffirming the World Bank’s continued support for Pakistan’s economic stabilization, climate resilience, and human capital development objectives. The Finance Minister appreciated the World Bank’s longstanding partnership and reiterated the Government’s commitment to advancing structural reforms, improving governance frameworks, and ensuring that development programs deliver tangible and sustainable benefits for the people of Pakistan.