ISLAMABAD, January 29: World Bank Chief Executive Officer Krisalina Georgieva says she held constructive discussions with the Pakistani leadership on the Indus Waters Treaty.
During her three-day visit, Georgieva called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, met with his economic team led by the Federal Minister for Finance and the Federal Minister of Water and Power.
In a statement issued at the end of her visit to Pakistan, World Bank Chief Executive Officer Kristalina Georgieva said the discussions helped her fully understand all perspectives on the Indus Water Treaty. She said the World Bank would also help Pakistan and India to find solution to the issue of Indus Water Treaty between the two neighboring countries.
The World Bank Chief said that during her meetings with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, the two sides agreed for speedy implementation of structural reforms in Pakistan to spur private investments.
She also met the leadership of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and learnt about province-level reforms efforts and development projects. This was Georgieva’s first visit to any country after assuming her new role on January 2. She plans to visit India in the next weeks. India, Pakistan and the World Bank are signatories to the Indus Water Treaty and are in discussions about how to resolve disagreements the two countries have over New Delhi?s construction of two hydroelectric power plants. Maintaining its neutral role as a Treaty signatory, the World Bank had in December last year announced a pause in the separate processes initiated by India and Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty to allow the two countries to consider alternative ways to resolve their disagreements.- DNA
