PM Shehbaz Confident of IMF Deal This Month

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday expressed confidence that his government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will come to an agreement by the end of this month. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Green Line Train service in Islamabad, the premier said that he fully expects that an agreement with the IMF will be signed this month and we will get out of these difficulties. The premier admitted that it is a difficult time but said that the coalition government was trying its best to bring the country out of the precarious economic situation. Speaking on the occasion Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that restoring development and economic growth would be a tough task, but the government would succeed. He also blamed the previous government for the country’s current economic woes. The prime minister’s comments follow the announcement by IMF that its mission will visit Pakistan on January 31 to resume discussions on the stalled 9th review of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF). IMF Resident Representative in Pakistan Esther Pérez Ruiz told ProPakistani on Thursday that at the request of the authorities, an in-person Fund mission is scheduled to visit Islamabad from January 31st – February 9th to continue the discussions under the ninth EFF review. Considering the schedule of the Fund mission, it looks unlikely that any agreement with IMF would be signed by the end of the month.