Pakistan’s two $67 billion loan programs at risk, World Bank

Political and administrative problems, economic uncertainty, institutional weaknesses are major obstacles to program implementation.

The programs aim to promote economic stability, improve public service delivery, and increase tax collections to 15 percent.

Most of the targets associated with the release of funds, continuous progress in the implementation of the reform program are commendable, report

          Washington: The World Bank has described two loan programs worth about $670 million in Pakistan related to tax reforms and digital services as moderately satisfactory, but has also identified risks to their success. According to the World Bank, political and administrative problems, economic uncertainty and institutional weaknesses are major obstacles to the effective implementation of these programs. According to a recent World Bank report, both programs aim to promote economic stability in Pakistan, improve public service delivery and increase the ratio of tax collections to 15 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The report describes the $700 million financial assistance under the Pakistan Public Resources for Inclusive Development (PRID) Program as moderately satisfactory, but the overall risk rating for it is significant. A key goal of this program is to increase the ratio of tax collections from 12.3 percent in June 2025 to 15 percent by June 2030.

         According to the World Bank, political and governance risks, economic conditions, institutional capacity, financial discipline, and environmental and social standards issues could affect program implementation. According to the report, an advance of $164.52 million was released under the program on June 29. The World Bank appreciated the significant progress made against most of the targets associated with the release of funds, describing it as a reflection of continued progress in implementing the reform program. The World Bank and the Government of Pakistan are working together to streamline technical assistance arrangements and mitigate the impact of delays in approval processes following changes in the project’s activities and cost allocation. 

        The report also identified delays in the formation of the Governing Council of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and the appointment of the Chief Statistician. According to the World Bank, the position of Chief Statistician should not remain vacant under the terms of the program and it is not acceptable to temporarily assign this responsibility to a current government official. According to the report, the position has been vacant since September 24, 2026. The World Bank has also rated the $70 million Connected Punjab Program for promoting digital services in Punjab as medium to significant risk due to political, administrative, economic and financial risks. The program is effective from the beginning of the current fiscal year and will continue until June 2031. The bank acknowledged that the program has strong support at the highest level of the Punjab government and the Punjab Information Technology Board has obtained the provincial government’s approval for it. 

        The primary goals of the program include increasing access to broadband and internet connectivity, improving the delivery of digital services, preparing for the use of artificial intelligence and promoting cashless transactions. According to the World Bank, the next steps of the program include establishing a committee to oversee artificial intelligence, developing a data governance framework, personal information protection and cybersecurity strategies. The World Bank’s Board of Directors approved the PRID.MPA program on December 19, 2025. The program aims to increase domestic revenue through reforms at the federal and provincial levels, improve the quality of government spending, and improve the delivery of public services through the effective use of data and digital technology.

World Bank

Mobile, internet shut down, security tight, PTI long march reaches Kohat, camped in Lachi

 

I am a soldier of Imran Khan, the whole world can neither put a price on me nor scare me, the country is being divided due to wrong policies,

This Test match, after two days, a T20 match will be held, this war is not only for Pashtuns but for the whole of Pakistan, Sohail Afridi addressing the long march

         Kohat: The long march started by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has completed its first destination and is now moving towards the next stages. According to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the long march of the PTI led by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reached Kohat from Karak. As part of security and administrative measures, mobile phone and mobile internet services have been completely suspended in Karak and its surrounding areas. 

         Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi, while addressing the participants of the long march upon reaching Tehsil Lachi of Kohat, said, "I pay tribute to the people of Kohat for the wonderful welcome. The people of Kohat will completely change the weather of Kohat tomorrow. The journey towards Peshawar will start from University Chowk at 3 pm tomorrow." He said, "I am a soldier of Imran Khan. Even if the whole world comes together, it cannot put a price on me. Similarly, the power of the whole world comes together and cannot scare me. We should not tire ourselves. Our struggle is long. The T20 match will start from October 8. Just as Kohat will emerge, Kohat will not give anyone a chance to surpass you. The message is to convey that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa belongs to Imran Khan, it was Imran Khan's and it will remain Imran Khan's.

        Earlier, while addressing the participants of the long march at Jail Chowk while departing from Karak, Sohail Afridi said that thieves and robbers cannot be sincere with the country. There is only one leader of the whole of Pakistan, whose name is Imran Ahmed Khan is a Niazi, Imran Khan is the heartbeat of our hearts, 90 percent of the people want Imran Khan, only Imran Khan can pull the country out of the quagmire and restore the honor and dignity of the institutions. Sohail Afridi said that the soldiers who are martyred and sacrifice for the country are a part of our existence, while I see hatred against this current system throughout the country. From Khyber to Karachi, everyone wants to go to Islamabad. You will have to accept our democratic demands. Only the policy that is in favor of the people will be made in Pakistan. 

      We are rebels against any policy that is not in the interest of the people. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said that Imran Khan is serving jail time with courage. If he was greedy for power, he would have signed a petition and come out, but he did not bow down. We have to fight the real war of freedom with Imran Khan. He said that Imran Khan and his entire family are sacrificing for the future of us and our children. After the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the courts are waiting for a chit. Imran Khan is waiting for you. You have to decide whether to accept slavery or want real freedom. You have to decide whether to bow down before the powerful or fight the war of freedom. 

     The Chief Minister said He further said that people from all corners of Pakistan should reach Swabi where the future course of action will be given. Terrorism was imposed on us under a plan, once again blood is flowing, we are homeless and businesses are being destroyed, an activist sits on TV and says that I am foolish, if it is foolish to stand with my people, then I will repeat this foolishness. Sohail Afridi said that the country is being divided due to wrong policies, the government of which you are a part has committed corruption worth Rs 5300 billion, if this is wisdom for you, then I curse such wisdom, if love for the country is foolish, then I will repeat this foolishness, those who have been imposed want to create prejudice in the country, the situation has gone beyond their control, those who have been resettled have also gone beyond their control, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was being forced to be part of the wrong policy. 

    Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said that I am a player of the founding PTI, I have said absolutely not, the decision makers in closed rooms have divided the country But a party has imposed it, the Chief Minister of this party says that I am not in danger from India but from three provinces, Sohail Afridi said that I am seeing hatred against this system in the whole country, from Khyber to Karachi everyone wants to go to Islamabad, our democratic demands will have to be accepted. He said that this is a test match, after two days it will be made a T20 match, this war is not only of Pashtuns but of the whole of Pakistan. We have seen peace only in the three and a half years of the founder PTI, we will call the policy of harassment an absolute no which will not be in favor of the people. 

    Provincial Information Minister Shafi Jan has written on his social media account ‘X’ that on October 5, i.e. today, the convoy will camp at Lachi Ground near Kohat at night. According to the PTI schedule, on Tuesday, October 6, people coming from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai districts will join the convoy, after which the march will move towards Peshawar and spend the night at Matni, 30 kilometers away from Peshawar city. The other day, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi, while sharing a detailed roadmap of this long march on ‘X’, had said that on October 7, people from different constituencies of Khyber district and Peshawar will welcome them from Badaber at the Kohat Road Bridge and Motorway Toll Plaza and the convoy will spend the night at Charsadda Interchange. After that, on October 8, people from Charsadda and Mohmand will also join and all the convoys from all over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will meet at Khairabad. Will gather, where after the night stay, keeping in mind the government and administrative situation.

pti long march,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Sohail Afridi,Provincial Information Minister Shafi Jan,

Government, opposition talks end inconclusively, long march is our right, will definitely happen, Barrister Gohar

     

  

Long march is our right, I will tell everyone not to stop the long march: Chair Man PTI Barrister Gohar

provincial government is not ready to play a role in the war against terrorism, the long march will not be allowed to enter the limits of Islamabad: Rana Sanaullah

         Islamabad: The ongoing talks between the government and the opposition ended without any result, sources said. Members of the negotiation committee left the Speaker's Chamber. After the talks, the government delegation spoke to the media. Advisor to the Prime Minister and a member of the government negotiation delegation, Rana Sanaullah, said that the provincial government is not ready to play a role in the war against terrorism, the provincial government should fulfill its constitutional responsibility regarding terrorism, and the provincial government refused to assure the role of the provincial government against terrorism. Rana Sana clarified that the long march will not be allowed to enter the limits of Islamabad, any kind of chaos will be prevented by the force of law. Government negotiation committee member Sherry Rehman said that we have heard their concerns, the draft was changed 4 times, no compromise can be made on terrorism, they have refused the agreement on the long march and other things.

            On the other hand, Barrister Gohar, who is Allama Chairman PTI and a member of the opposition delegation, said that the negotiation session has ended and a deadlock has been created in the negotiations. The parties did not agree on the need for a session tomorrow. They will exchange some things with each other. If necessary, a session may be held. Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar said that we wanted the negotiations to be successful. Our long march is intact. There will be a long march. No such action should be taken under the guise of a long march that creates tension among the people of the province. The long march is our right. I will tell everyone not to stop the long march. He said that nothing should be called final. Nothing is final in politics. The answer to a long march is not emergency or governor's rule. The parties did not agree on the next stage of negotiations.

The issue of meeting Imran Khan could not be resolved in the talks with the government: Allama Nasir Abbas

           Raja Nasir Abbas, while talking to a private TV news channel, said that the deadlock remains, there were small things but no results could be reached. Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that the issue of meeting the founder of PTI could not be resolved, there is a deadlock on the issue of access to Khan's personal physician, we tried to reach a conclusion but the deadlock remains. Allama Nasir Abbas also said that he had reservations regarding the National Action Plan on the issue of terrorism, and there were also reservations regarding the operation in the areas where there are IDPs. Allama Nasir Abbas said that after the talks, the government delegation said that at this time we are not in a position to meet Imran Khan, he said that the meeting of sisters and lawyers will start. Barrister Salman Akram Raja said that consensus could not be reached on the basic issues, we thought that we could move forward on which both of us would agree.

Government, opposition talks end inconclusively, long march is our right, will definitely happen, Barrister Gohar

Second round of government-opposition talks today

In the first round of talks Exchange of lists of demands ,  Agreed to continue the talks

PTI should withdraw the call for long march, Rana Sanaullah, protests and chaos will not give concessions, government, we have informed the government team about our position, Barrister Gohar

The talks continued for several hours, political situation, discussions on various issues, government, PPP, opposition members informed each other about their respective positions, talks will be held again at 2 pm today

Mohsin Naqvi, Rana Sanaullah contacted the Prime Minister, informed about the progress in the talks, the talks were held in a positive atmosphere, Chairman PTI, opposition should cancel the long march unconditionally, Sherry Rehman

 Islamabad: Talks between the federal government and the opposition on the current political situation have been postponed until today. The first round of talks between the government and the opposition began at 12 noon and the second round after Friday prayers, at the end of which the parties agreed to adjourn the talks until today and continue the talks. The talks continued for several hours, after which the parties agreed to meet again at 2 pm today. According to the National Assembly spokesperson, the meeting discussed the country’s political situation and various issues in detail. During this time, members of the government, the PPP and the opposition informed each other of their respective positions, while detailed discussions were held on various issues. According to the statement, the government delegation stressed the need to resolve national issues with the opposition through talks.

After the talks, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar expressed satisfaction over the negotiation process and said that the first day of the talks had passed in a good atmosphere. He said that we have informed each other of our respective positions, and it is hoped that matters will improve. Opposition Leader in the Senate Raja Nasir Abbas also said in response to questions from journalists that during the talks, the government members’ behavior was appropriate. The government delegation presented its point and we presented ours. Negotiations will resume today at 2 pm.

Delegations from the government and the opposition participated in the talks held in the chamber of the Speaker of the National Assembly on Friday, during which members of the PPP were also present. The government’s negotiating delegation was led by Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, while other members included Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Rana Sanaullah. Senators Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar and Ijaz Jakhrani participated in the negotiations from the PPP. The opposition’s negotiating team included Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar, former Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser, Aamir Dogar and Salman Akram Raja. During this, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi briefed the government and opposition leaders on the situation and law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to sources, during the talks, there was a heated exchange between the PTI and the government team on some issues, however, there was no disruption in the talks between the two sides and the talks continued. According to sources, during the talks in the committee room, bitter words were exchanged between Rana Sanaullah and Raja Nasir Abbas while discussing judicial matters. Raja Nasir Abbas criticized and disappointed the government's measures of not implementing court decisions and banning meetings with the founding chairman. On this occasion, Rana Sanaullah took the position that the courts are doing their job and the government will ensure the implementation of court decisions related to the long march.

The government delegation, while taking a strong stance, made it clear that an attack on Islamabad in the name of protest will never be allowed and threatening to attack the long march or Adiala Jail is not a correct political attitude. Sources say that government members also took the position that not only the government but also the opposition should show flexibility. At this point, Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq intervened and urged the parties to move matters forward through understanding.

According to sources, PPP members remained mostly silent during the talks. The second round of talks between the government and the opposition began after Friday prayers. During this time, after exchanging recommendations from both sides, the parties were engaged in separate consultations with their respective members. According to sources, opposition leaders remained present in the Speaker’s Chamber and kept their leaders informed about the progress in the talks and the issues under discussion. On the other hand, government members consulted on the demands and recommendations presented by the opposition in the conference room of the Speaker’s Chamber. During the talks, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah also contacted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and informed him about the progress in the talks.

Before reaching the committee room, reporters asked Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq whether he was playing a facilitating role in the negotiations and whether any results would be achieved from this process. In response, the Speaker recited the first verse of Surah Fatiha, ‘Alhamdulillah, Rabb al-Alameen’ and said that he was only playing the role of a facilitator and prayed that the negotiations would be successful. Negotiations are the only way to resolve differences of opinion and problems.

Negotiations

Governor's rule should be imposed in Balochistan , where 80% of government writs have been abolished, Shandana Gulzar

 

    

          The country's economic condition is bad, inflation is on the rise, Form 47 people are flouting the constitution, the army and the police are ours

      Islamabad has been turned into a containeristan, we will come out with full force on October 4, there will be no left or right from the constitution, press conference

                Peshawar : PTI leader Shandana Gulzar has said that Governor's rule should be imposed first in Balochistan, where 80% of the government's writ has expired. While holding a press conference in Peshawar, Shandana Gulzar said that we are being threatened with Governor's rule, first impose Governor's rule in Balochistan, where 80% of the government's writ has expired. She said that terrorism is happening in my constituency on a daily basis, has the Federal Interior Minister ever visited these areas? The inquiry into the Police Lines blast has not come to light till today. 

                Shandana Gulzar said that the country's economic condition is bad, inflation is on the rise, those with Form 47 are flouting the constitution, we do not want confrontation, the army and police are ours, we are people with books, not ships. He further said that Islamabad has been turned into a containeristan, but we will come out with full force on October 4 with the Chief Minister and Junaid Akbar, we will neither be left nor right from the constitution.

Shandana Gulzar

Federation and PTI face to face , Political crisis intensifies

Government begins open discussion on constitutional emergency and possibilities of Governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Governor's rule casts shadow over KPK government, October 4 march enters decisive phase, more containers arrive in Islamabad

       

                    The political front heats up in Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, federation and PTI come face to face. The political crisis has intensified after the federal government began open discussions on the possibilities of constitutional emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while PTI has announced to continue the October 4 Islamabad long march at all costs. 

                    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has made it clear that he will lead the march on October 4 and the first phase is scheduled to reach Swabi, while PTI Chairman Barrister Gauhar also confirmed that the call for the march will be maintained and called it a peaceful political activity. On the other hand, there have been calls from within PTI to postpone the march. The party’s provincial information secretary Shaukat Yousafzai has written a letter to the leadership suggesting further postponing the march due to the current security situation and fears of a possible emergency. Meanwhile, the federal government’s statements have become more stringent.

                Federal ministers are calling the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the basis for Governor’s rule or other constitutional measures, while PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari has also said that his party will give constitutional suggestions on the issue of Governor’s rule if the federation consults. Security preparations are also underway in Islamabad in view of the possible march on October 4. Containers are present around important places, especially the Red Zone, and a security cordon has been maintained. Thus, the real test will now be on October 4: on the one hand, PTI’s Islamabad march, on the other hand, the federation’s echo of constitutional options against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, while there are also reports of behind-the-scenes political contacts. 

               However, no final secret agreement or deal has been independently confirmed. One thing is clear in the current situation that by October 4, the political tension between the federation and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has entered a more critical phase. This is breaking news, not analysis; and I have deliberately not made unconfirmed definitive claims like “Governor’s rule is about to be imposed” or “a deal has been struck.” The biggest confirmed news at this time is that the march is ongoing, the Chief Minister has announced its leadership, and an open discussion on constitutional options against KP has begun at the federal level. It is also noteworthy that more than a dozen containers have arrived in Islamabad at this time and are being placed in the red zone in addition to the internal and external routes.

Federal government , PTI , constitutional emergency and governor's rule in KPK

Threats of Gour Narraj cannot move us back from our position, Sohail Afridi

The policy of throwing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into the fire of terrorism again is unacceptable, the people have been subjected to experiments of a special mind

The state has been informed repeatedly but it has been declared as our propaganda, the sacrifices of the people of the province, police and army have been sacrificed for unrest

   Peshawar: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi has said that he will not move back from his position due to threats of Gour Narraj or emergency. In a meeting related to law and order, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi said that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police and army have made countless sacrifices for the establishment of peace, more than 80,000 people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have sacrificed their lives but the peace achieved after 2 decades of sacrifices has been sacrificed for unrest.

    He said that the federal government was continuously warned until the terrorists left and were resettled. The federal government was repeatedly informed of the threat, but our statements were called propaganda. The current policy of the state was repeatedly said to be wrong. Sohail Afridi further said that the people of the province were made a target for experiments with a specific mindset, and the policy of throwing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into the fire of terrorism again is unacceptable. 

Sohail Afridi