With reservations on some points: PTI-led KP govt welcomes IMF package approval

PESHAWAR: Welcoming the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package’s approval, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Adviser for Finance Muzammil Aslam has said the provincial cabinet has expressed reservations on some points of the deal with the international lender.

Talking to Geo News on Friday, he said the cabinet had directed to seek clarification from the federal government on those points.

The sought-after explanation by the Centre on the points would be submitted to KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, he added.

The development came after the Executive Board of the Washington-based lender on September 25 approved a $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with the first tranche of $1.1 billion likely to be released by September 30.

The latest bailout, coming to Pakistan in the form of loans, follows a commitment by the government to implement reforms, including a major effort to broaden the country's tax base — a measure reflected in the tax-heavy budget passed earlier this year by the incumbent administration.

Furthermore, IMF Pakistan Mission Chief Nathan Porter has confirmed that multiple friendly nations have given "significant financing assurances" to Islamabad linked to the bailout package which go beyond the agreement to roll over $12 billion in bilateral loans owed to these countries.

Sources in the Ministry of Finance have said that the interest rate on the loan is less than 5% and the lender might even disburse the second instalment within this fiscal year.