Bank will Support Pakistan as it Tackles Development Challenges: Wolfowitz

From left to right: Mark Lyall Grant of the British High Commission, World Bank Presudent Paul Wolfowitz, Abid Hasan of the World Bank, and Christoph Sander of the German Embassy in a donors' meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday.

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Islamabad, August 16 , 2005 - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz has pledged Bank support to help Pakistan realize its full potential, on the third day of his visit to the country.

Wolfowitz's comment came after a round of meetings with the country's top leadership including President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, key ministers and officials, parliamentarians and the donor community.

During the talks, a set of Pakistan's development challenges - which the Bank is best positioned to support - emerged. They included Pakistan's need to:

• Sustain the country's strong growth and ensure the benefits of the growth are spread equitably
• Better manage its water resources
• Improve its education, gender and health outcomes
• Invest in and better manage its infrastructure with an immediate focus on building a Lahore-Karachi transportation corridor.

In pledging the Bank's strong commitment to support Pakistan, Wolfowitz said the reasons were obvious.

"There are 150 million reasons right here - the country of this people, "he said.

"That's why we want to see Pakistan develop. Pakistan is an important country in an important region and it must realize its full potential."

Wolfowitz and Musharraf met for nearly two hours over lunch, during which the Pakistan President provided a detailed overview of the country's immediate development challenges.

In the meeting, Musharraf was deeply appreciative of the quality of the bank's support and partnership with his country and commended the bank's response to Pakistan's needs.

Noting the important reforms and fiscal changes Pakistan had adopted in recent years, Wolfowitz said the country was moving ahead in a positive economic way.

"This is a moment which must be seized to address its underlying development problems," Wolfowitz said.

Later, reflecting on his three days in Islamabad, Wolfowitz said he'd come to the country to get to know Pakistan's top leadership, understand its development context and challenges, meet and learn from people, and familiarize himself with the Bank's work in the country.

"I have learned a lot already in a short time, " Wolfowitz said. "The World Bank's challenge is to help Pakistan create the conditions which will enable its people to give their children a better future."

Wolfowitz will visit Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, on Wednesday, before departing for India, on the second leg of his South Asia tour.