{
  "id": 431235,
  "title": "Rs115bn WB-funded rehabilitation project restructured quietly",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/rs115bn-wb-funded-rehabilitation-project-restructured-quietly",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-10T02:20:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2021814/rs115bn-wb-funded-rehabilitation-project-restructured-quietly"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "ISLAMABAD: In a behind-the-scenes maneuver, the Pakistani government has discreetly revised the Rs115 billion World Bank-funded post-flood rehabilitation project, leaving over 134,000 verified flood-affected families in Balochistan without the durable homes they had been promised. Documents and informal talks reveal that inquiries into alleged manipulation of records, duplicated claims, and multiple payments for identical housing units were ongoing. There were also documented efforts to hinder these investigations. The project steering committee (PSC), chaired by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, has now limited the $155 million housing portion of the $400m Integrated Flood Resilience & Adaptation Project (IFRAP) to approximately 69,000 homes. Consequently, the World Bank has withdrawn its proposed $180 million supplementary funding that could have extended reconstruction to the remaining affected families. Following the catastrophic 2022 floods, Pakistan amassed over $9 billion in international pledges at the January 2023 Geneva Conference. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had publicly committed to providing a resilient dwelling for each family that endured loss. However, during the PSC's June 22-23 meeting, the committee unanimously shifted the remaining housing funds to road and irrigation projects and formally rejected additional World Bank financing. This reversal contradicts the commitment, despite the completion of more than 134,000 surveys and registrations for affected families. The decision to alter the project's scope has sparked debate, with some alleging manipulation to redirect funds to contractor-driven larger infrastructure projects, while others express concern over the slow pace of house completion due to issues such as the absence of land titles, access to financial records, and transparency. The planning commission has now suggested satellite imagery for verification, and both the minister and chief minister have appointed an independent high-level inquiry to ensure transparency and accountability. The committee also noted serious corruption allegations against certain officials, but the fact-finding committee was denied access to records in Balochistan. Moreover, the ministries of planning and economic affairs seemed to have differing viewpoints on the matter. The EAD acknowledged the World Bank's concerns over changes in project leadership arrangements. It is clear that both the bank and the planning commission had their own priorities for the project leadership. A source familiar with the situation revealed that the minister for planning and the World Bank country director Bolormaa Amgaabazar had at least two meetings to resolve the issue, but the problems persisted. Interestingly, a comparable project, the Sind People’s Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF) involving approximately $3 billion in funding and over 2 million home reconstructions, continues to thrive, showcasing a success story despite the planning commission's dissatisfaction with a lack of third-party verification. When contacted, the commission stated that the inclusive development program \"under IFRAP was damaged in a coordinated manner for vested interests by shifting financing from important sectors i.e. education, health, PHE, irrigation, bridges, roads, livelihood and youth skill development to housing to show burn rate.\" The commission denied that the housing project had been halted, stating that around 75,000 fully damaged houses were under construction, with 26,000 of them already completed. They emphasized that the project originally approved by Ecnec was 68,922 homes, which would remain protected. The commission explained that vested interests had planned to divert funds from early warning systems, irrigation, and other sectors to housing, violating the Ecnec-approved scope. They reported that out of the total $400 million IFRAP budget, $245 million had already been disbursed. The commission claimed that the allegation of misreporting 15,000 completed houses to the Prime Minister was raised by a local parliamentarian, and an inquiry had established the misrepresentation. The commission also noted the different treatments of two similar projects in Sindh and Balochistan, stating that they were incomparable. The IFRAP in Balochistan was a federal budget project with a single World Bank loan, involving budgetary disbursements and compliance requirements, while the SPHF in Sindh was a direct borrower from multiple lenders and financed through a non-profit entity following non-binding disbursement schedules.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: Amid a blame game and fiduciary concerns, the government has quietly restructured the Rs115 billion World Bank-funded post-flood rehabilitation project, depriving more than 134,000 verified flood-affected families in Balochistan of the resilient homes they were promised. Official documents and background discussions indicate that investigations were underway into alleged record…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}