IMF confirms meeting with PTI to ‘seek assurances of support’ for key objectives under new deal

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was “in the process” of meeting representatives of major political parties in Pakistan, including the opposition PTI, to “seek assurances of their support for key objectives and policies” under the new $3 billion Standby Agreement, the lender’s resident representative for Pakistan confirmed on Friday.

“IMF staff are in the process of meeting with representatives of the major political parties in Pakistan, including PML-N, PPP, and PTI, to seek assurances of their support for the key objectives and policies under a new IMF-supported program ahead of the approaching national elections,” Esther Perez Ruiz told Dawn.com.

She added that the new agreement was expected to be considered by the IMF Executive Board in the upcoming days.

The executive board of the IMF will meet on July 12 to review the $3 billion Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) for Pakistan, the staff-level pact for which was finalised last week.

Pakistan was absent from an earlier schedule released in June, igniting speculation that the IMF was not going to release funds from an earlier programme that expired on June 30.

On June 29, the IMF and Pakistan reached a stand-by arrangement (SBA) to ease the country’s financial crisis. The nine-month SBA, if approved, will bring $3bn, or 111pc of Pakistan’s IMF quota.

The SBA, subject to the IMF board approval, offers much-needed relief to a country still grappling with a severe balance of payments crisis and declining foreign exchange reserves.

Earlier in the afternoon, Commerce Minister and PPP leader Naveed Qamar said the IMF’s resident representative called on the party’s finance team — comprising himself and Saleem Mandviwala — to discuss the Stand-by Agreement.

“[The] PPP agreed to support the programme in the larger national interest,” he added.

Separately, a statement released by the Ministry of Commerce said Qamar acknowledged the significance of the standby agreement in addressing Pakistan’s economic concerns.

The minister further reiterated the PPP’s commitment to working in harmony with the IMF to ensure the successful implementation of the program.

Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Imran Khan also said today that he would be meeting the IMF delegation.

He revealed this during a court hearing — pertaining to May 9 riots — in Lahore today. Upon being asked to join the investigation in the case at 4pm today, the former prime minister said he was unavailable to join the probe as he was scheduled to meet with a delegation from the IMF.

Providing further details, PTI leader and former federal minister Hammad Azhar said the PTI’s economic team was approached by the global lender to “solicit the party’s support” for the $3 billion Stand-By Agreement and its broad objectives.

“An IMF team will call on Party Chairman Imran Khan at Zaman Park this afternoon,” he tweeted.

Azhar added that both the PTI’s economic team and the IMF team would join, in person and virtually, to take part in the discussions.

However, responding to the PTI leader’s tweet, Coordinator to PM on Economy and Energy Bilal Azhar Kayani slammed the opposition party for celebrating the meeting with the IMF after “violating” the agreement in their tenure.

“The IMF team is meeting all political parties and met the PPP yesterday,” he said, claiming that the global lender was meeting the PTI to “especially see” if another conspiracy was being hatched to “play with the economy” and “push the country towards default”.

“Imran Khan and his useless team should not hatch any new conspiracy against the new deal … the IMF team is not just meeting you but all the political parties,” Kayani stated.

He added that Imran should tell the IMF team today why he violated the previous agreement with the lender and pushed the country to the brink of default.

“Don’t do any new mischief against the IMF program in today’s meeting,” the coordinator told the PTI. “Stability has returned to the country after numerous difficulties, let the country become economically strong.”