ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Wednesday appreciated the strong support extended by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for fight against Covid-19. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh held a virtual meeting with Shixin Chen, Vice President of the Asian Development Bank yesterday. Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Division, Khusro Bakhtiar, Country Director ADB, Ms Xiaohang Yang, and the Executive Director, ADB, Shahid Mahmood also attended the meeting. In his opening remarks, the adviser finance appreciated the strong support extended by the ADB for fight against Covid-19. The adviser acknowledged ADB’s long standing partnership and firm commitment towards Pakistan to bring about essential reforms in priority areas like energy, transport, water and urban services, and the social sector. The adviser finance shared a brief overview on the current economic situation and highlighted the measures taken by the government to protect the vulnerable from the pandemic. The government had to shift from its pre-Covid fiscal tightening in order to provide relief to the masses and businesses during these testing times. ADB’s support to the Ehsaas Programme was appreciated and areas of mutual interest, like effective resource mobilization and enhancing domestic productivity, were discussed for future collaboration. Shixin Chen commended the Prime Minister’s smart lockdown strategy as being ideal in striking a balance between lives and livelihoods. He also lauded the socio-economic coverage extended to the marginalized section of the society and shared ADB’s commitment to continue its support in the future.