KARACHI: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Pakistan on Friday signed an agreement for a $250 million loan that would help drive sustainable investments in the country’s infrastructure and services sectors, the Pakistan chapter of the bank confirmed.
The ADB announced on June 5 that it had approved a $250 million policy-based loan to help drive investments in Pakistan’s infrastructure and services sector through public-private partnerships (PPPs).
“ADB Country Director for Pakistan Yong Ye and Secretary Economic Affairs Division of Pakistan Kazim Niaz today signed the agreement for $250 million policy-based loan,” ADB Pakistan wrote on social media platform X.
In its earlier press statement on June 5, ADB said its PPP program supports the implementation of government policies to create a fiscally affordable environment for public-private partnerships, apart from promoting economic growth.
“The reforms will facilitate efficient infrastructure planning and promote sustainable development practices in infrastructure projects, such as climate risk screening and gender considerations in project feasibility assessments and PPP contracts,” ADB Director-General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov had said.
The regional development bank has committed over $52 billion to Pakistan, one of its founding members, since 1966 in public and private sector loans, grants, and other forms of financing to promote inclusive economic growth in the country.
In December 2023, the ADB approved three projects totaling $658.8 million to improve Pakistan’s domestic resource mobilization, rehabilitate schools damaged by the devastating August 2022 floods, and enhance agricultural productivity to improve food security.
ADB, Pakistan sign $250 million loan agreement for investment in infrastructure, services
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ADB, Pakistan sign $250 million loan agreement for investment in infrastructure, services
- Loan to help drive investments in infrastructure, services through public-private partnerships
- ADB has committed over $52 billion in public and private sector loans and grants since 1966
Bodies of Pakistani nationals who died attempting illegal migration repatriated from Iran
- Pakistan’s envoy in Tehran warns youth against human smugglers after deaths in harsh weather
- Pakistan reported sharp fall in illegal migration to Europe this year amid nationwide crackdown
ISLAMABAD: The bodies of two Pakistani nationals, who died near the Iran-Türkiye border after attempting to travel illegally to Europe, have been repatriated to the country, said a senior diplomat on Tuesday, reiterating warnings against human smugglers amid an intensified crackdown by authorities in Islamabad on illegal migration.
Pakistan says it has stepped up action against illegal immigration and human trafficking in recent years, reporting a 47% drop in illegal migration to Europe this year and the arrest of more than 1,700 suspected human smugglers, according to official figures.
However, people continue to attempt dangerous irregular journeys in search of work and better economic opportunities abroad.
“The mortal remains of Pakistani nationals Mr. Armanullah s/o Gul Rahman and Mr. Ihtasham s/o Mukhtar Gul, both residents of Nowshera, have been repatriated to Pakistan through Taftan border earlier today,” Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, Muhammad Mudassir Tipu, said in a post on social media platform X. “Both had fallen victim to the greed of human smugglers and lost their lives in extremely harsh weather conditions near Iran’s border with Turkiye.”
“I once again request the youth back home not to be trapped by human smugglers and instead follow the legal path to travel abroad,” he added, thanking the government of the Balochistan province in Pakistan for arranging the transportation of the bodies and offering condolences to the victims’ families.
The issue illegal immigration has drawn heightened scrutiny since 2023, when hundreds of people, including Pakistani nationals, died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in an overcrowded vessel that sank off the Greek coast, prompting Islamabad to launch nationwide investigations into human smuggling and trafficking networks.
Authorities have since arrested Pakistani and foreign nationals at airports with forged travel documents, highlighting the scale of document fraud linked to illegal departures.
In September, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) released a list of more than 100 of Pakistan’s “most wanted” human smugglers and identified major trafficking hubs across Punjab province and the capital, Islamabad.
Earlier this month, Pakistan announced plans to roll out an artificial intelligence-based immigration screening system at Islamabad airport from January, aimed at detecting forged documents and preventing illegal travel abroad, as part of broader efforts to curb human smuggling and unauthorized migration.
