IMF’s fourth review mission holds second round of talks with SBP
Discussions cover monetary policy, inflation, reserves, exchange rate and oil prices as Pakistan seeks the next EFF disbursement
The International Monetary Fund’s fourth review mission held a second round of talks with the State Bank of Pakistan in Karachi on Thursday as discussions continued on the next disbursement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme.
SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad and senior central bank officials briefed the IMF delegation on key economic developments, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
The talks covered monetary policy, economic growth, inflation, remittances, foreign exchange reserves, imports, the exchange rate and the current account. The SBP also briefed the mission on its strategy to deal with higher international oil prices and the impact of the conflict in the Gulf region.
Sources said several IMF targets and performance criteria had already been met, while the gas sector’s circular debt and the mechanism for determining gas prices remained among the issues discussed with the Fund.
The IMF mission will hold technical-level talks with Finance Ministry officials in Islamabad on Friday.
Successful completion of the fourth review would pave the way for Pakistan to receive the next USD 1.2 billion tranche under the EFF programme. Pakistan could also receive around USD 200 million under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), linked to climate-related reforms.
