India to oppose World Bank’s funding to Pakistan next month     

India will next month oppose the World Bank funding to Pakistan, just as it had done in case of IMF, arguing that Islamabad had used such funds in the past to procure arms and ammunitions, a government source said.

Multilateral agencies’ funding to developing countries are meant for poverty alleviation and development goals, but Pakistan’s track record has been to misuse them for military purposes, the source said.

World Bank is likely to review next month its USD 20 billion lending to Pakistan under the Country Partnership Framework agreed in January this year.

The funds to cash-starved Pakistan were for areas, including clean energy and climate resilience, for a period of 10 years beginning 2026.

“We will oppose the upcoming World Bank funding to Pakistan," the source said.

India had lobbied with IMF chief Kristalina Georgiev and ministers of IMF board member nations against the agency extending a USD 2.3 billion assistance to cash-strapped Pakistan earlier this month.

New Delhi presented proofs ranging from presence of senior Pakistani military officials at the funeral of designated terrorists to data that showed that Islamabad had misused funds in last two decades with arm procurements rising exponentially.

India