World Bank President Banga is in Pakistan for a visit that is both official and deeply personal. He arrived in the South Asian country on February 1 for a four-day trip that has taken him back to the place where his family once lived before the Partition of India in 1947.
As per reports, the main reason Banga is in Pakistan this time is to visit his ancestral village in the Khushab district of Pakistan’s Punjab province. This is where his mother’s family lived before they were forced to leave during the division of British India.
Banga at Family Home and Gurdwara
On his first full day in the area, Banga travelled to his ancestral home. Local officials welcomed him warmly and called him a “son of the soil.” They showed him the original revenue records of his family’s property and gifts like a replica marble plate from a gurdwara built by his grandfather.
According to reports, Banga also visited a Sikh shrine in the area, the Gurdwara Singh Sabha, which his family helped to establish decades earlier. He was shown the plaque with his grandfather’s name that is still displayed there. Local authorities also gave him a special coin commemorating Guru Nanak Dev’s 550th birth anniversary.
Banga on Pain of Partition
In a video posted on social media, Banga spoke about how difficult the Partition was for families on both sides of the new border. He said it tore families apart and disrupted lives. He also shared that he only learned many of these stories from his mother a few years before she passed away.
Before this visit, Banga had last been to Pakistan in 1996 while working at Citibank, but that visit was limited to Karachi. He said that it was encouragement from friends at the World Bank that led him to make this emotional trip back to his roots.
Banga’s Official Meetings and Reactions
Alongside the personal part of the visit, Banga has also held talks with Pakistani government leaders about economic issues and a long-term partnership between Pakistan and the World Bank. Officials have said that this visit could support future cooperation on development and reform.
Though this journey is rich with emotion for Banga, he has also faced some criticism online. Reports say that some social media users have reacted strongly to his warm comments about Pakistan. The comments have pointed out his statements as controversial in light of historical tensions between India and Pakistan.
