Pakistan and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) are working to turn a large indicative financing plan into concrete projects, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema said after meeting the bank's group chairman in Bangkok. The plan is Pakistan's Member Country Partnership Strategy (MCPS) for 2026 to 2030, which envisages about USD5.6 billion in IsDB Group financing. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 2026 World Bank Group–IMF Annual Meetings. In short, the USD5.6 billion is a planning figure, not a set of approved loans.
What the minister asked for
Cheema said the indicative envelope should become a pipeline of well-prepared projects, with set timelines for financing approvals, disbursements and implementation. He also congratulated Dr Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser on his re-election for a second five-year term as chairman of the IsDB Group, and said Pakistan had confidence in his leadership. The minister stressed that the aim was measurable results rather than announcements.
Projects and trade finance
The minister welcomed IsDB financing of USD475 million for the M-6 Sukkur–Hyderabad Motorway. He also welcomed the bank's continued support for Pakistan's polio eradication programme, including the recent approval of USD100 million for Phase V. On the ML-1 railway upgrade, which he said is central to modernising the network and improving connectivity, he asked for more IsDB support. He urged close coordination with the Asian Development Bank and other co-financiers to speed up project preparation.
Cheema also said the IsDB Group had helped mobilise more than USD1 billion in trade financing through ITFC, the group's trade finance arm, during FY2025-26. He asked for more competitive terms on future facilities, pointing to Pakistan's improving macroeconomic and credit profile. He proposed a whole-of-Group approach that would bring in IsDB, ITFC, ICD, ICIEC and the IsDB Institute. The areas he listed were export finance, small and medium enterprises, infrastructure, public-private partnerships and energy transition.
Al Jasser commended the government's development vision and said the Group was committed to helping Pakistan meet its development priorities. Both sides agreed on the need for a results-oriented partnership focused on transformational investments and measurable outcomes. The account of the meeting comes mainly from the minister's remarks, and the sources do not include a separate statement from the IsDB.
What happens next
The sources do not give a date for when the wider USD5.6 billion envelope will be approved, nor a timeline for new ML-1 support. The next step described is building the project pipeline, which will decide how quickly IsDB funding for Pakistan reaches roads, railways and health programmes. Progress will be clearest when individual projects move through approval and implementation.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan aur Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) ne 2026 se 2030 ki partnership strategy ke tahat 5.6 arab dollar (USD5.6bn) ki indicative madad par baat ki hai. Yeh abhi planning ka marhala hai, aur har project ko alag se approval ki zaroorat hogi. Motorway, polio program aur ML-1 railway jaise projects se aam logon ko safar aur sehat ke shobay mein behtari mehsoos ho sakti hai. Lekin iska asar tab nazar aayega jab projects mukammal hon gey.
