Bangkok: Pakistan and the Islamic Development Bank have reiterated their commitment to a partnership aimed at transformational investments and measurable development outcomes. This commitment was emphasized during a meeting between Pakistan’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Ahad Khan Cheema, and the Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, in Bangkok, Thailand.

According to Radio Pakistan, the meeting took place alongside the 2026 World Bank Group-IMF Annual Meetings, where discussions focused on accelerating development cooperation under Pakistan’s Member Country Partnership Strategy for 2026-2030. Minister Cheema congratulated Dr. Al Jasser on his re-election for a second five-year term and expressed Pakistan’s confidence in his leadership.

The Minister welcomed the Member Country Partnership Strategy, which includes an indicative financing plan of approximately 5.6 billion dollars from the Islamic Development Bank Group. He emphasized the need to translate this indicative financing into a concrete pipeline of well-prepared projects with clear timelines for financing approvals and implementation.

Furthermore, Minister Cheema acknowledged the Islamic Development Bank’s financing of 475 million dollars for the M-6 Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway and its ongoing support for Pakistan’s polio eradication program, including a recent approval of 100 million dollars for Phase V. He highlighted the strategic importance of the ML-1 Railway Upgradation Project for modernizing Pakistan’s railway network and sought enhanced support from the Islamic Development Bank for this initiative.

The Minister also noted the mobilization of over 1 billion dollars in trade financing through the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) during FY2025-26, seeking more competitive terms for future facilities. Dr. Al Jasser praised Pakistan’s economic development vision and reaffirmed the Islamic Development Bank Group’s commitment to supporting Pakistan’s development priorities.