Key points
- IMF begins its first biannual assessment of Pakistan’s $7 billion Extended Fund Facility
- The nine-member team will conduct an in-depth economic assessment
- The review is scheduled to run until March 15
ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has begun its first biannual assessment of Pakistan’s $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), initiated in September of last year. The Pakistan government is optimistic about a positive resolution from the talks, which could pave the way for the release of a $1.1 billion tranche within the next three weeks.
The nine-member team, headed by Nathan Porter, will conduct an in-depth economic assessment, as confirmed by sources within the Ministry of Finance.
Reports suggest that the two sides will hold talks in two distinct phases. The initial phase will revolve around technical discussions while the subsequent phase will shift to high-level policy dialogues.
The IMF representatives will engage with various government bodies, including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Energy, Planning Commission, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), and the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA).
Budget proposals
A significant focus of these discussions will be on budget proposals for the upcoming fiscal year 2025-26, as the IMF’s insights will be pivotal in shaping tax relief measures and financial incentives for the salaried workforce.
The economic review is scheduled to run until March 15, with its outcomes expected to be instrumental in defining Pakistan’s financial stability and economic strategies in the months ahead.
The climate discussions are also part of the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), which aims to provide long-term funding for climate resilience initiatives.
Sources indicate that Pakistani authorities, particularly the Planning and Finance ministries, have prepared documentation for the Environment-related Public Investment Management Assessment (C-PIMA) in alignment with policy suggestions from the IMF and the World Bank.
![NEW YORK: Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leading Pakistan’s high-level parliamentary delegation, on Tuesday warned that India's aggressive actions pose a serious threat to peace in South Asia and urged the international community to take note of India's aggressive conduct. Bilawal was addressing a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on recent regional developments after the military conflict between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani delegation is in New York to present Pakistan’s stance on the military escalation with India and to challenge New Delhi’s narrative at the global level. The visit is part of Pakistan’s sustained diplomatic outreach to brief key UN stakeholders on the alarming regional situation. The Pakistani delegation is also scheduled to arrive in Washington today, where it plans to engage with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, other senior officials, lawmakers, and think tanks till June 6. The team will also visit London and Brussels. Speaking at the press conference, Bilawal said that he wanted to use the opportunity to share Pakistan’s perspective on the recent military conflict with India in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and the way forward. Bilawal said that the “illegal strikes” launched by India as part of its ‘Operation Sindoor’ were “in violation of the UN Charter, international law”. He said the attacks had targeted civilian infrastructure, places of worship, energy infrastructure and innocent women and children. He said India had used the April 22 terrorist attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Pahalgam as a pretext to launch the attack inside Pakistan. Following the Pahalgam incident, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered publicly to India that Pakistan was ready to be part of any impartial international investigation into this attack. “We did so because we were confident, our hands were clean and we had nothing to do with this terrorist attack. “We expressed our sympathy with the victims of terrorism and Pakistan has consistently and unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said, adding that PM Sharif had immediately expressed Pakistan’s willingness to India and the global community to be part of any impartial international investigation. “Indian government refused Pakistan's offer and chose instead to conduct their illegal strikes. Pakistan only then acted in self-defence, we never initiated any violence against India,” Bilawal said. Bilawal emphasised that Pakistan never initiated hostilities against India but responded to Indian aggression by downing six Indian fighter jets. "The Pakistani military had responded with precision the night of the first Indian attack and only targeted and downed six planes because we believed those were the ones to release their load on Pakistan”. He stated that US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio played a vital role in achieving a ceasefire during heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours. “We’ve seen during the course of this conflict how quickly the escalation ladder between our two countries rose and the concern is that the next time there is such an incident, there may not be time for the international community to intervene before things get a lot worse. That is why it is absolutely important for Pakistan and the international community to continue to pursue dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable path to peace.” He said Pakistan’s position was to hold a “comprehensive dialogue” with India that would include the issue of terrorism as well. The head of the Pakistani delegation said that no civilized nation can support the use of water as a weapon and urged the international community to play its part, questioning, "What would be the global reaction if someone’s lifeline was cut off?" He stressed that Pakistan has paid a heavy price in the fight against terrorism and has suffered the most. “The single largest number of terrorist attacks that take place in any one country is Pakistan. The single largest number of victims of terrorism is Pakistan. I myself have suffered at the hands of terrorists. My mother [Benazir Bhutto] was assassinated by the terrorists.” Bilawal also criticised India for targeting water reservoirs and civilian areas, including mosques, during its attacks. Calling negotiations the only path to peace, Bilawal reiterated that the unresolved Kashmir dispute remains the root cause of regional instability. He urged the global community to take notice of India’s aggressive conduct.](https://wenewsenglish.com/storage/2025/06/Bilawal-Bhutto-Zardari-300x180.jpg)
