- Prime Minister Shehbaz asked Fin Mandar to ensure the budget as per the demands of the IMF.
- “Pakistan cannot afford a budget that violates the fundamental principles of the IMF,” the source said.
- The PM had recently said that he hoped the IMF agreement would be signed this month.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has asked the Finance Ministry to ensure that the upcoming budget to be presented on June 9 does not violate the parameters set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In a meeting between the Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday, hopes were expressed that the government would reach an agreement with the IMF, informed sources said.
Contrary to media reports that the government would deliver a popular budget in a general election year, the source said: “Pakistan cannot afford a budget that violates the fundamentals set by the IMF.”
Sources said the prime minister is quite optimistic about the revival of the IMF program after a long telephone conversation with the IMF managing director a week ago.
Shahbaz had approached IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva to revive the $6.5 billion bailout package.
The talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz and Georgieva came after the finance ministry could not end the deadlock over the debt issue for the past four months.
According to the sources, the Prime Minister was quite satisfied after talking to the MD of the IMF. In the same meeting, it was agreed that Pakistan will share the budget details with the IMF.
The IMF MD, the source said, also signaled a revival of the programme. That is why Prime Minister Shehbaz told Turkish media on Monday that Pakistan is hopeful of finalizing the agreement with the IMF this month.
“We are still very optimistic that the IMF program will be implemented. Our ninth review by the IMF will match all the terms and conditions and hopefully we will have some good news this month.” Anadolu In Ankara
The Prime Minister was present in Ankara to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that Pakistan has fulfilled all the conditions.
“Some of these measures are usually taken after the board’s approval, but this time the IMF required that these measures be completed before the board’s approval,” he was quoted as saying by the Turkish news agency. To be done, that’s why we have met them.