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KARACHI: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday that decisions regarding the constitutionality, feasibility and timing of provincial and general elections “rest solely with Pakistan’s institutions”, clarifying that there was “no requirement under Pakistan’s Extended Fund Facility-supported programme which could interfere with the country’s ability to undertake constitutional activities”.

The statement from the international monetary lender comes a day after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decided to put off Punjab Assembly elections by more than five months, citing financial and security constraints.

Pakistan has to give assurances on financing BOP deficit: IMF

However, in a statement on Thursday, IMF Resident Representative for Pakistan Esther Perez Ruiz reportedly said:

“Targets under IMF-supported programmes are set at the aggregate general government level (aggregating across federal and provincial government), and within these there is fiscal space to allocate or reprioritise spending and/or raise additional revenues to ensure constitutional activities can take place as required.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

Comments

1000 characters
Truthisbitter813 Mar 24, 2023 09:12am
Right, "no interference", except that the IMF knows that Pakistan does not have the funds to sustain a successful transition without the bailout.
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Malik Mar 24, 2023 10:59am
This is bad news for PTI supporters and good news for supporters of Pakistan
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Tariq Qurashi Mar 24, 2023 12:16pm
The IMF program will be at best a stop-gap measure. To prevent critical shortages the government needs to now prioritize imports as follows: 1) Fuel 2) Medicines, medical equipment, and pharmaceutical raw materials 3) Staple food items like wheat and pulses 4) Raw materials for our Export industries 5) Raw materials for our fertilizer industry; 6) High quality seeds Blocking all imports is not a sustainable solution. Much of our export industry is closed due to a shortage of raw materials, and it must be made functional as soon as possible to help us get out of the mess we find ourselves in. We need to learn to live within our means and reschedule our debt.
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