IMF Mission holds discussions with Pakistan on economic developments

IMF Mission holds discussions with Pakistan on economic developments

ISLAMABAD, Dec 09 (APP):The visiting International Monetary Fud (IMF) Post Programme
Monitoring Mission held various rounds of technical discussions over the last
week with the Pakistan’s financial team led by Secretary Finance, Shahid
Mahmood.
The IMF team was led by Harald Finger in
discussions covering a host of areas including macroeconomic situation,
developments in energy, fiscal, financial, monetary and social sectors, said a
press statement issued by the Ministry of Finance here Saturday.
In the opening session, Secretary Finance shared
with the IMF delegation an overview of the economy, stating that it was on
track and key economic indicators were moving in the positive direction.
He mentioned that significant growth had been achieved in
revenue generation in the current fiscal year.
He said that Pakistan had achieved fiscal consolidation without
compromising on expenditures on development and social protection.
He added the government had set its eyes on achieving 6% GDP
growth which is inclusive, pro-poor and sustainable.
Secretary Finance also briefly touched upon recent successful
launch of Sukuk and Euro Bond with the IMF delegation.
The IMF delegation appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in
maintaining macro-economic stability and noted impressive economic growth in
Pakistan despite multiple challenges.
On Friday the Mission met Tariq Bajwa, Governor State
Bank of Pakistan, the statement added.
Over the week, the mission also held meetings with
the Ministries of Commerce, Railways, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, OGRA
and SECP.
It also met senior officials in other ministries including Energy,
Planning Development and Reforms, State Bank of Pakistan, Federal Board of
Revenue, BISP and NEPRA and held technical discussions on key areas.
The Post Program Monitoring is an annual feature of the Fund whereby
overall, economic conditions of a member country, which is no more in a program
relationship and owes funds to the IMF, are monitored and a report is
presented to the Executive Board of the Fund.
It may be recalled that the last IMF mission level visit to
Pakistan took place in late 2013.
The current visit was taking place after a gap of over 3 years,
reflecting improved security conditions as well as the economic performance of
the country and growing trust of the international community.

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