 ISLAMABAD (Our Balochistan News) Sources in the Ministry of Finance say that Pakistan has been trying to sign a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for several weeks, but Finance Minister Ishaq Dar expects that soon. The deal will be finalized by the end of the week.
According to reports, the government is adamant that a deal is imminent, a finance ministry official said, adding that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar will begin the final phase of negotiations with the IMF tomorrow (Monday).
Earlier this week, Ishaq Dar had said that the government would sign a staff-level agreement with the IMF in a few days. A contract cannot be signed at the end of the week.
Pakistan hosted an IMF mission in early February to discuss the terms of the agreement, which includes adopting policy measures to curb the fiscal deficit ahead of the annual budget.