ISLAMABAD, Oct 19
Hundreds of victims of the recipes and policies of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other International Financial Institutions (IFIs) in Pakistan Friday called for resisting these institutions for aggravating and perpetuating poverty instead of reducing it.
Resist International Financial Institutions, a vibrant group of the affectees of World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded mega projects including Tarbela Dam, Ghazi Barotha Hydro Power Project (GBHPP), Chotiari Dam, Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD), Taunsa Barrage Emergency Rehabilitation and Modernization Project (TBERMP) and Chashma Right Bank Irrigation Project (CRBIP), in partnership with Actionaid organized a rally in front of the World Bank/Asian Development Bank building in Islamabad. The rally coincides with launch of World Development Report by the World Bank on Friday and ahead of the meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank on 20-22nd October.
The rally which started from the World Bank office terminated at the Press Club in Islamabad. The protesters including women from different parts of the country raised slogans against the World Banks apathy and indifferent attitude towards the poor communities in Pakistan who have long been suffering due to the Banks policies to support mega projects that have been causing loss of eco-system and lives and livelihoods of thousands of households. The peaceful protesters were holding placards with slogans such as "Resist IFIs and Reject their policies", "Poverty is not our destiny".
In a protest memorandum handed in to the representatives of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, the protesters expressed their concerns over bad governance structure, decision-making processes and debt policies of these institutions even after six decades of their establishment since 1940s. The protestors termed the vision of these institutions as being stagnant and undemocratic and their policies anti people.
