Islamabad, Aug 09: Pakistan is seeking USD 1.5 billion of assistance from the World Bank for strategic infrastructure development projects in water, power, roads and human development, finance minister Shaukat Aziz has said. At a joint press conference with the World Bank vice president for South Asia, Praful Patel, Aziz said the bank is currently extending about USD 600 million a year to Pakistan and the country is now seeking to increase this assistance.
“Pakistan needs this assistance for second generation of reforms in capital, human development, good governance, health and education and capacity building," the minister said.
Saying that Pakistan wants to take the reform process from Federal to provincial and district level, he said "many of the loans to be obtained would be used in infrastructure and capacity building at the district level, improving education and health delivery".
Patel said the bank strongly endorse the progress that has been made by the country in its reforms programme. Bureau Report