“Govt has fulfilled all requirements of IMF and after agreement relief could be passed on to the public,” interior minister says
FAISALABAD
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said on Monday that agreement with International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be inked formally next week as the government has fulfilled its all requirements.
Addressing a public gathering in Faisalabad, he said after the agreement, a tangible relief could be passed on to the public. “The two sides are engaged in tough talks to reach a consensus on multiple conditions since late January before signing the deal which also includes external financing from friendly countries,” he told the public gathering.
The interior minister said that the politicians have difference of opinion but this difference should not be converted into personal enmity. Earlier, he said the upcoming budget would provide relief to lower and middle classes. He blamed the ex-premier Imran Khan for signing an agreement with the IMF on tough conditions.
He said that the PDM government hiked the petrol prices and ended up subsidies on gas and electricity due to IMF’s pressure. “We tried our best to get rid of the IMF’s condition but we were bound to implement the tough condition as the agreement was signed by the former prime minister.”
Earlier, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar stated that Pakistan has “fulfilled all the conditions” of the IMF and hoped that the Fund will soon sign the staff-level agreement, paving the way for the release of the $1.1 billion tranche.
He said both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have informed the IMF about their commitments to provide $3 billion to Pakistan. Riyadh will provide $2 billion while Abu Dhabi has promised $1 billion to Pakistan, Dar said, adding that the Washington-based lender has also been informed in this regard.
The finance minister said all the conditions for the staff-level agreement between Pakistan and IMF have been fulfilled. “Pakistan is hopeful that IMF will soon sign the SLA and get it approved by its Executive Board,” Dar added.
