World Bank Chief Visits Pakistan, Echoes Pain of 1947 Partition

World Bank President Ajay Pal Singh Banga visited Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib Hassan Abdal, (West) Panjab along with his family during his four-day visit to Pakistan. During the tour, Banga met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other key ministers and senior officials from the Finance Division of Pakistan to address the needs of the country’s cash-strapped economy. He also visited his ancestral home in Khushab district of Panjab province. Banga visited Gali Sikhan wali (Street of the Sikhs) in Khushab on the Jhelum river. Khushab is also known as the ‘City of Soldiers’ for its contribution to the armed forces. The local officials arranged a copy of the original revenue records of Banga’s family home and presented it to him as a token of remembrance. Additionally, Banga, accompanied by his spouse, Ritu Banga, and senior officials, visited the Jaulian Buddhist archaeological site at Khanpur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In 2025 the World Bank had announced to fund Pakistan with USD 20B over the next decade, aimed to be invested in nutrition, education, and renewable energies in the hope of stimulating private sector growth. Banga’s high-profile visit came just days after PM Sharif admitted that he and Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had to travel the world ‘begging’ for money to avert financial collapse. Addressing the public in a press conference in Lahore, Banga said, ‘It is important to give children quality education and modern skills. Only a healthy child becomes a productive citizen of tomorrow. Employment creates not only the government, but also the private sector.’ During his address, he spoke about his family's migration from Pakistan to India during the 1947 Partition. He also praised the love he received from locals of his ancestral village. It was ironic that Indian netizens hit out at the World Bank President for his remarks calling it ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. It displays the Indian mainland’s ignorance of how generations of Panjabis deal with the Partition. Echoing the pain of the Partition, Banga added, ‘I was not born here, I was born in India’s Pune. Partition was very difficult for everyone. Whether you went to India from Pakistan or came to Pakistan from India, the whole house, system, family, half of the family was broken’ (earlier coverage).