Pakistan Default Sri Lanka: IMF Wants Pakistan To Be Default Like Sri Lanka Finance Minister Ishaq Dar Says
[ad_1]
Ishaq Dar told a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance on Thursday, “We cannot accept everything the IMF says. They want us to become Sri Lanka, default and then negotiate. Dar’s statement came after the IMF criticized Pakistan’s budget for the fiscal year 2023-24. Dar alleged that geopolitics was being played against Pakistan. He said the ‘enemy countries’ want Pakistan to become Sri Lanka and then talk to the IMF.
‘Can’t stop exemption at the behest of IMF’
Cash-strapped Pakistan has barely enough currency reserves to cover one month’s imports. Pakistan expected the $1.1 billion to arrive in November, but the IMF imposed harsh conditions on Pakistan before making further payments. In the meeting, Dar said, ‘Pakistan is a sovereign country. We have national interests. At the behest of the IMF, we cannot stop the exemption given to the youth in the IT sector.
‘Deal will be done this month’
Talking to the media, the Pak Finance Minister said that the talks with the IMF have not failed. He reiterated that the staff-level agreement would be signed this month. According to Dar, everything is in order and all arrangements have been made. Earlier, Ishaq Dar had said that if talks with the IMF do not materialise, the government will work on ‘Plan B’. However, he refused to talk publicly about this ‘Plan B’.
[ad_2]
Source link
