IMF denies it called Asad Umar ‘arrogant’

ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has denied that it termed Finance Minister Asad Umar as ‘arrogant’.

When the IMF’s Resident Chief in Pakistan was contacted to inquire about reported Fund remarks about Asad Umar as “arrogant” or he is coming unprepared, the IMF chief replied that all such reports are untrue. “We have never spoken about Asad Umar in terms like the one suggested in the message,” she concluded.

However, some independent economists and former bureaucrats who had negotiated IMF deals in the past conceded in their private discussions that the existing economic team with few exception is the weakest ever team responsible for holding parleys with the IMF, so it was one the major reasons for failing in achieving any breakthrough in ongoing inconclusive talks between Pakistan and the IMF.

One top official who was part of meeting held with IMF’s MD Christine Lagarde on eve of IMF/WB Annual Meeting at Bali couple of months back said that the meeting continued for about 30 to 40 minutes and it had not ended in just 10 minutes.

The mismanagement on economic front has recently been exposed by Dr Farrukh Saleem who was removed unceremoniously from the slot of spokesman on economic and energy issues when he talked about failing of the government for boosting exports despite devaluation of rupee against dollar by 30 percent. “I am feeling liberated” said Dr Farrukh Saleem when The News asked him about relieving him through tweet by the Minister for Information where he had stated that Mr Farrukh Saleem was not officially designated spokesman of government.