Miftah Ismail reaffirms govt’s commitment to undertake reforms envisaged under the IMF program

ISLAMABAD, May 18 (SABAH): The 7th Review Mission of IMF Program kicked off on Wednesday with a virtual meeting of Finance Minister Dr. Miftah Ismail Ahmed with IMF Mission Chief Nathan Porter.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister reaffirmed government’s commitment to undertake the reforms envisaged under the IMF program and to complete the structural benchmarks. He said government will take measures to reduce the burden on the economy while protecting the vulnerable sections of the population.

The Minister further stated that we should aim to address structural issues to enable Pakistan to end fiscal deficit and move toward sustainable growth.

He said government understands the current economic woes and agree that it will have to take tough decisions while mitigating the effects of inflation on the middle to low-income groups.

The IMF Mission Chief sensitized that Pakistan’s economy demands both immediate and long-term measures. The Finance Minister thanked the IMF Mission Chief for IMF’s support at a difficult time for global economy. Both sides showed keen interest to complete the review successfully.

The first batch of the senior management of Finance Division, State Bank of Pakistan and Federal Board of Revenue has already reached Doha for the 7th Review Mission.

Finance Minister Miftah Ismail and Minister of State Dr. Aisha Ghous Pasha will be joining the team at Doha early next week to conclude the discussion with the expectation to clinch an agreement for IMF’s continued support until the successful completion of the program.