Rs115bn World Bank Flood Rehab Project Restructured, Cutting Promised Homes for 134,000 Balochistan Families.

The government reorganised the Rs115 billion World Bank‑funded flood rehabilitation project, reducing the housing component to roughly 69,000 homes. The change leaves more than 134,000 families in Balochistan who had been surveyed and registered for assistance without the promised resilient houses. Investigations were underway into allegations of record tampering, duplicate claims and multiple payments for the same housing units. The project steering committee, led by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, capped the $155 million housing budget. At its June 22‑23 meeting the committee redirected the remaining housing money to roads and irrigation and formally declined the World Bank’s proposal for an additional $180 million. The World Bank therefore dropped its extra financing that could have supported the reconstruction of the families still affected. The Iraqi‑hydro project was part of a January 2023 Geneva Conference pledge of more than $9 billion for Pakistan’s flood recovery. After the 2022 floods, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had promised a resilient home for every family that lost one, a pledge that the restructuring reverses. The planning commission has called for satellite imagery verification and an independent inquiry to ensure transparency, noting misreporting of completed homes – 15,000 presented to the Prime Minister versus 8,694 officially recorded – and concerns about slow progress due to land and financial constraints.