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
https://arab.news/c33vh
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
EU criticizes Pakistan over jailing of rights lawyers, flags free speech concerns
- EU says the convictions of Imaan Mazari-Hazir, Hadi Ali Chattha violate freedom of expression
- Both lawyers were arrested last week over social media posts under Pakistan’s cybercrime laws
KARACHI: The European Union on Thursday criticized Pakistan over the conviction of two human rights lawyers for their social media activity, saying the ruling ran counter to freedom of expression and the independence of the legal profession, core democratic principles that Islamabad is committed to uphold under international law.
Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha were arrested last Friday as they were on their way to a court appearance and were later remanded to two weeks in judicial custody.
Authorities accused them of violating the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) over posts on X that they said incited ethnic divisions and portrayed the military as being involved in “terrorism.” Both deny the allegations.
“The conviction of human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha over social media activity goes against freedom of expression and independence of lawyers,” Anouar El Anouni, the EU’s spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, said in a post on X. “These are not only key democratic principles but also part of Pakistan’s international human rights commitments.”
Pakistan is one of the largest beneficiaries of the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), which grants duty-free access to most European markets in return for implementing 27 international conventions covering human rights, labor standards, environmental protection and good governance.
Pakistan’s GSP+ status came under scrutiny in the past after, in April 2021, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for an immediate review, citing concerns over violence against religious minorities, curbs on media freedom and broader human rights issues.
Earlier this week, lawyers in Pakistan’s capital went on strike and announced plans to stage a protest against the court ruling, which handed Mazari-Hazir and Chattha a cumulative 17-year sentence.
The Pakistani government has not yet responded to the EU statement.
