ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled to deliver a keynote address tonight at the 14th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Makkah, where he is expected to express solidarity with Saudi Arabia in the face of the rising tensions in the Arabian Gulf region.
Khan reached the Kingdom along with a delegation of close aides on Thursday and performed Umrah, an Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah’s grand mosque, ahead of the OIC conclave.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who will chair the summit, invited 57 OIC member states to attend the event that seeks to provide “a valuable platform to exchange views and deliberate on a range of political, economic and security issues of interest to Islamic countries.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has already attended the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Saudi Arabia finalized the OIC summit agenda ahead of its two-day session in Makkah.
“As one of its [OIC] founding members, Pakistan has played a key role in advancing a range of Muslim causes in efforts to revitalize the organization,” the foreign office said in a statement on Wednesday.
Pakistan has always condemned attacks on Saudi oil facilities and cities by Yemeni rebels and expressed its resolve to protect the Kingdom’s sovereignty and integrity in the face of any external aggression.
PM Khan to express solidarity with Saudi Arabia as OIC summit opens tonight
PM Khan to express solidarity with Saudi Arabia as OIC summit opens tonight
- Khan reached the Kingdom with a delegation of close aides on Thursday and performed Umrah
- King Salman will chair the two-day summit
World Bank president in Pakistan to discuss development projects, policy issues
- Pakistan, World Bank are currently gearing up to implement a 10-year partnership framework to grant $20 billion loans to the cash-strapped nation
- World Bank President Ajay Banga will hold meetings with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials during the high-level visit
ISLAMABAD: World Bank President Ajay Banga has arrived in Pakistan to hold talks with senior government officials on development projects and key policy issues, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday, as Islamabad seeks multilateral support to stabilize economy and accelerate growth.
The visit comes at a time when Pakistan and the World Bank are gearing up to implement a 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) to grant $20 billion in loans to the cash-strapped nation.
The World Bank’s lending for Pakistan, due to start this year, will focus on education quality, child stunting, climate resilience, energy efficiency, inclusive development and private investment.
"World Bank President Ajay Banga arrives in Pakistan for a high-level visit," the state-run Pakistan TV Digital reported on Sunday. "During his stay, he will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials to discuss economic reforms, development projects, and key policy issues."
Pakistan, which nearly defaulted on its foreign debt obligations in 2023, is currently making efforts to stabilize its economy under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
Besides efforts to boost trade and foreign investment, Islamabad has been seeking support from multilateral financial institutions to ensure economic recovery.
“This partnership fosters a unified and focused vision for your county around six outcomes with clear, tangible and ambitious 10-year targets,” Martin Raiser, the World Bank vice president for South Asia, had said at the launch of the CPF in Jan. last year.
“We hope that the CPF will serve as an anchor for this engagement to keep us on the right track. Partnerships will equally be critical. More resources will be needed to have the impact at the scale that we wish to achieve and this will require close collaboration with all the development partners.”
In Dec., the World Bank said it had approved $700 million in financing for Pakistan under a multi-year initiative aimed at supporting the country's macroeconomic stability and service delivery.
It followed a $47.9 million World Bank grant in August last year to improve primary education in Pakistan's most populous Punjab province.
