Pakistan is in talks to release of $1.1bn (£890m) of cash from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help ease its financial crisis.
Pakistan’s economic woes are a culmination of years of political turmoil, a financial crisis and floods, with its reserves only able to cover three weeks – rather than the required three months.
Inflation is also thought to stand at around 24% to 26%, according to the country’s finance ministry, and the currency has been devalued against the dollar.
The IMF delegation will be encouraging the Pakistani government to implement bold cost-cutting measures to help it bridge its financial gap, with mission chief Nathan Porter saying: “You don’t have any other option.”
In 2019, Pakistan secured a $6bn (£4.9bn) bailout from the IMF. It got another $1bn (£811m) last year to help overcome the devastating floods, but in November the IMF suspended payments, saying the government failed to make progress on its fiscal consolidation.
In response, Ishaq Dar, the country’s finance minister, told the IMF it had made some efforts to bring its crisis under control, including increasing taxes on petrol and natural gas, and increased prices for electricity.
