Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that the government had “no other option” but to implement the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, calling it a “painful reality”.
Pakistan entered a $6bn IMF programme in 2019, which was increased to $7bn earlier this year. The programme’s ninth review is currently pending for the release of $1.18bn. It had earlier been put off for two months due to the PML-N-led government’s unwillingness to accept certain conditions placed before it by the Fund, and the disagreements have yet to be resolved.
Earlier this month, IMF Resident Representative for Pakistan Esther Perez Ruiz had said that discussions between Islamabad and the international moneylender on the ninth review had been “productive” so far.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad today, the premier said that the country had no other option but would have to implement the IMF programme and criticised the PTI for breaching its agreement with the international lender.
