ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has postponed next week’s scheduled talks in Pakistan in the wake of a recent wave of terrorism that claimed more than 100 lives in four deadly attacks across the country.
Pakistan and the IMF had a plan to meet in Islamabad for the first time in many years due to the improved security situation. These talks were previously held in UAE.
The talks were planned under IMF Article-IV to review the status of Pakistan’s economy, as the country needs IMF certification of good health to keep borrowing from foreign capital markets and multilateral lenders due to its inability to attract non-debt creating foreign inflows. It was supposed to be the first high-level interaction between Pakistan and the IMF after the expiry of the $6.2 billion package that ended in September last year.
Due to security issues, the IMF team had to postpone its visit to Pakistan, said a senior finance ministry official. He said that Pakistan was still trying to convince the IMF to hold talks in Islamabad, therefore, new dates have not been finalised yet.
