IMF team due in a couple of days, says PM: Businesspeople urged to support govt’s energy plan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has assured him of dispatching a team to Pakistan in the next two to three days for the 9th review.

He stated this while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Hazara Electric Supply Company (HESC) from the Prime Minister’s House on Friday.

The prime minister said that he received a call from the managing director IMF last night (Thursday). He added he informed Kristalina Georgieva that Pakistan would fulfil the agreement’s conditions committed by the previous government.

Shehbaz Sharif said he told her that the people of Pakistan are already burdened by the devastation of the flood and “Pakistan’s economic state is in front of you” and the government is not in a position to further burden the poor.

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He said he requested the managing director IMF to send the Fund’s team so that the 9th review should be completed and Pakistan could get the next tranche.

Shehbaz Sharif said that the managing director IMF told him of dispatching the Fund’s team to Pakistan in the next two to three days.

She wanted to know as to what is the position of Pakistan-friendly countries, China, and Saudi Arabia, and was informed by the premier that they are standing with Pakistan.

Earlier, he said that longstanding demand of the people of Hazara is being met today so that Hazara’s various districts should have electric supply. He said that their demand has been met and this company is now separated from the Peshawar Electric Supply Company Limited (PESCO) and the remaining formalities would be fulfilled soon so that this company should become a property of the people of Hazara.

He said that billions of rupees Sui Gas project has been ordered for completion and when sufficient gas would be available it would reach the houses of the people.

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He said that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had made a comprehensive plan to overcome the load shedding under the CPEC an additional 5,000-MW electricity new projects were installed. He said that the former Chief of Army Staff General Bajwa brought the former PM Imran Khan to power and supported him for the last four years to help him succeed but he has proven a failure and is now accusing Bajwa.

He said that the former prime minister has made angry the friendly countries like Saudi Arabia, China, UAE and Qatar. He said that Chinese companies, which have invested billions of dollars in Pakistan, were accused of corruption by the former prime minister.

He said that like Saudi Arabia, China is Pakistan’s friend and spoke to the Chinese prime minister a day ago the Chinese PM told him about his meeting with the managing director IMF, wherein, the Chinese premier told her that Pakistan is like a brother to China and the IMF should support it.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023