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ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (9 June 2004) - ADB officials today concluded three days of meetings with senior figures in Pakistan's Government to discuss the way forward for ADB's development assistance to the country.
Director General of ADB's South Asia Department, Yoshihiro Iwasaki, held talks with officials including Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Chief Minister of Punjab Chaudhry Pervez Ilahi, and Finance Minster Shaukat Aziz. Also attending the talks were ADB's Pakistan Country Director Marshuk Ali Shah, and Senior Economic Adviser Naved Hamid.
The Prime Minister, in his discussions with Mr. Iwasaki, stressed the importance of translating the benefits of ongoing economic reforms into meaningful improvements in the quality of life of the poor.
Mr. Iwasaki noted that ADB was providing support in this regard for second generation reforms in Pakistan that were designed to promote job creation for the poor through small and medium development, boosting agricultural productivity to raise incomes of rural farmers, and improving social sector indicators, particularly in the education, health, and water supply sectors.
Mr. Iwasaki also met with the Chief Minister of Punjab in Lahore and discussed ADB's ongoing and proposed development assistance in the province. It was agreed that critical areas needing investment in Punjab included infrastructure development and rehabilitation, water resource development, and human resource development.
In a meeting with the Finance Minister, Mr. Iwasaki noted that ADB was proposing a new sector-based approach to infrastructure development in Pakistan, identified as a priority area by the Government. Mr. Iwasaki also noted the need for a paradigm shift to put Pakistan on a higher growth path.
The Finance Minister expressed interest in seeking support from ADB for rural poverty alleviation, and noted that ADB could bring international best practice in this area based on its experience with rural poverty reduction in Thailand and other countries.