Pakistan, Oct. 9 -- Advisor to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad on Thursday said the World Bank's decision to include Pakistan in its Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP) reporting region is merely an administrative and statistical reclassification and does not affect the country's geographical identity or income classification.

This distinction was important as regional statistics changed whenever the composition of a statistical group changed, he said in his official X handle.

Once Pakistan's large population is added to MENAAP, indicators relating to poverty, population and per-capita income will naturally look different from those of the traditional Middle East and North Africa region. Regional averages ...