US envoy meets finance minister Ishaq Dar, discusses bilateral cooperation

US ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome on Thursday called on Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and exchanged views on matters of mutual interest.

The two dignitaries discussed the way forward for enhancing the existing bilateral investment and trade relations between the two countries, the Ministry of Finance said in a tweet.

The meeting comes ahead of Dar's upcoming visit to the United States next week. The finance minister is due in the US from April 10 to 16 to attend the upcoming annual spring meetings of the IMF and the World Bank.

Secretary Finance Hamid Yaqoob and Governor State Bank of Pakistan Jameel Ahmed will also accompany the finance minister along with a high-powered delegation, sources at the Ministry of Finance said.

The delegation will hold a separate meeting with the IMF officials during the visit, sources said.

The finance minister will inform the international lending institutions about reforms introduced by the government.

The IMF and the World Bank, known as Breton Wood Institutions, will also be briefed about the economic discipline and progress in efforts for funding from friendly countries.

The IMF is seeking verifications from Pakistan’s friendly countries, such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, and additional assistance of $6 billion to the country.

The coalition government has already said that it has fulfilled all toughest requirements set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the release of a 1.1bn dollar tranche.