Pakistan to assume IMF, World Bank board chairmanship for first time in over 7 decades

Dawn reported that Pakistan will take over the chairmanship of the Boards of Governors at the IMF and World Bank Group next year, a post the country last held in 1953. The Ministry of Economic Affairs called the appointment a historic milestone in a Friday statement. Federal Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, who holds Pakistan's governorship at the World Bank, was named the incoming chair at a plenary of the 2026 annual meetings in Bangkok.

The WBG Corporate Secretariat walked Cheema through the duties of the chair after the plenary. He then met Aradhana Kumar-Capoor, the Vice President and Corporate Secretary, to discuss support and coordination for Pakistan's term. He also met Carlos Carvallo Spalding, Paraguay's central bank governor who is leaving the post, and praised his work during the term.

During the meetings, Cheema stressed Pakistan's commitment to giving developing nations a stronger voice, mobilising private capital for sustainable and inclusive growth. Separately, according to state-run Pakistan TV, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met World Bank Group President Ajay Banga at a dinner in Bangkok, while Pakistan's IMF arrangements consist of a $7 billion EFF and a $1.4bn RSF. The staff-level deal reached this month, following reviews under both facilities, opened access to roughly $1.2bn in Fund resources.