International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva emphasized that Pakistan needs to focus all its policies towards the welfare of people.
She passed the comments in a meeting with newly appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar and State Bank of Pakistan Governor Reza Baqir.
“Had a productive virtual meeting with IMF MD on the state of Pakistan’s economy and implementation of reforms. Grateful that she acknowledged the positive economic indicators and the need to keep the welfare of people of Pakistan as the focus of all our policy endeavors,” Hammad said after the meeting.
However, Georgieva tweeted: “I commended Pakistan’s response to the health and economic crisis, and we discussed the way forward for vital economic reforms and external financing needed to build a better future for Pakistan’s people.”
Recently, Pakistani officials and IMF high-ups held discussions on the occasion of the IMF/World Bank’s annual meeting held virtually this time.
Pakistani authorities are urging the IMF to adopt a lenient attitude in the wake of the third wave of COVID-19. The global lender had placed tough conditions for imposing over Rs700 billion additional taxes in the upcoming budget and hiking the electricity tariff by Rs5 per unit till June 2021.
In the next fiscal year, Pakistan will have to hike the gas tariff.
